Shy Averett, 36, is a community development and event specialist for Microsoft in Troy, Mich.

Q. What do you do at Microsoft?

A. I work in our Troy store creating events and programs to benefit the community. As an example, we give programming classes to students in our in-store theater, which itself is solely for community use. I also arrange for sponsorships and donations to community organizations and for volunteer opportunities for our staff. Microsoft provides the resources, and I see that they go where they’re needed.

Is your role philanthropic, promotional or both?

Our purpose is to give back to the community. But when I’m looking for a resource, if a Microsoft product can help, I’ll use it. I’ve used Microsoft applications to teach teens to create and edit video games, and when I worked with the local Y.M.C.A., we motivated athletes to learn technology by having them write a bio and display their stats in Excel for a fictitious NBA draft.

How did you find this job?

I was working in marketing and community relations for a real estate development firm. A recruiter called and said all the right words like, “a new Microsoft store,” “youth,” “impact” and “free educational resources.” I was sold. I’ve been here more than four years now.