Graduate Story: Jamie Leidwinger '15
I often think of experiences like windchimes, in that when a breeze blows through, you’ll never know which chimes will touch and make a really interesting sound in a way you didn’t expect.
—Jamie Leidwinger '15
Jamie Leidwinger '15 (music) now works as a product designer at Microsoft, where she helps create consistent experiences across products in the Office suite, with a focus on real-time collaboration. In addition to that work, she has also pursued work in audio production, including producing, co-writing and performing for the cinematic audio adaptation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Tell us a little about your position.
I’m a product designer at Microsoft, where I work across Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Our team is responsible for elements that connect all three products. For example, if you save a file, format text in bold or work on a file together in real-time, that experience should feel consistent no matter which product someone uses. Right now, most of my work is on co-authoring: making shared work on a file feel smooth when you and others are editing at the same time. I’m involved in the full design process, from creating research studies, talking to users, making design proposals based on what we learn and working with engineers and product managers to polish what goes live.
Outside of Microsoft, I maintain an active creative life. I’ve recently had the absolute joy of being a producer on, and co-writing/performing an original song for, the cinematic audio adaptation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes for Penguin Random House and DC Comics. Throughout the process I listened to auditions and gave thoughts on casting, sat in on recording sessions, provided notes for clarity and listened to every mix. I’m really proud of how this turned out! I’ve also had fun flexing my technical skills while music editing for an indie production like catskull (an audio adaptation of the Singapore National Literature Prize-winning novel) and serving as an assistant editor on the Webby Award-winning DC High Volume: Batman, all while solving systems problems at Microsoft.
What was your Dickinson experience like?
I was a music major and political science minor, so my days were all over the place (in a good way!): from climbing the stairs at Denny for a political philosophy class, to Rubendall for Collegium rehearsal; from working with Wheel and Chain on a campuswide exhibition, to competing with the Infernos at the ICCAs as the first group from Dickinson to qualify; or from an Althouse classroom prepping for a service trip to Belize, to sharing meals with people from all parts of campus whose days, interests and lived experience looked incredibly different from mine. At the time it seemed a little bit scattered, but it’s funny how looking back, every single thing was essential to my personal and professional journey.
How did Dickinson prepare you for where you are today?
I often think of experiences like windchimes, in that when a breeze blows through, you’ll never know which chimes will touch and make a really interesting sound in a way you didn’t expect. I’ve had to navigate some really scary pivots in my career, trusting in the breeze. When my career in arts administration became tough during the pandemic, I decided to take a leap of faith into product design, pitching myself to recruiters as someone who could solve technical problems with a fresh way of looking at them: for instance, during my apprenticeship at Microsoft focused on notifications, I suggested, “If you need to wrangle noise, call a composer.” It was a bold and bizarre pitch, but one that ended up working, and one that was deeply informed by my liberal-arts education. Just as importantly, the liberal-arts mindset—that you don’t have to choose to be just one thing—is something that fuels my creative aspirations and work.
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Published August 24, 2026