It’s a great honor to welcome three powerhouse Latinas to join the Latinas in Tech organization as Governing Board of Directors alongside current Board Chairwoman, Larissa Prairie. Let’s give a warm welcome to my new changemaker colleagues:Rose Hartwig, Managing Partner at Marketing Fluency and former Senior Vice President of Global Brand &amp; Product Marketing at Peloton&nbsp; joins as Board Secretary.Mayra Sofia Montaño, CEO of Mayra Montano CPA&nbsp; joins as Board Treasurer.Rachel ten Brink, General Partner at Red Bike Capital, joins as Board Director.Latinos make up 19% of the U.S. population, but in 2020 only 4.1% held Fortune 500 board seats and the gap is even greater for Latinas, with only 1%. This underrepresentation of Latinas on corporate boards is why we are proud to have three women who identify as Latinas be a part of our organization. They bring a unique perspective and a unified mission to create JEFAS (women leaders) across the tech ecosystem, amplifying our core pillars of Professional Development, Mentorship, and Recruitment.I’m thrilled about welcoming these three new members to our board of directors. Given Latinas in Tech’s fast growth, serving today over 25,000 members, and receiving the support of so many of the largest Tech (and non-tech) companies in the world, the organization is at the need of a board that can lead LiT’s strategy for continuous growth, strategical aiming and, with the help of our new treasurer, LiT’s first financial audit that is needed to comply with requirements given the revenue size of this tax exempt 501(c)3.”With the mission of making JEFAS, empowering Latinas to advance in their tech careers, working with companies to make a systemic change and collaborating with corporate boards, ERGs and lawmakers to ensure that the playing field for Latinx workers is even and fair to all.<h3>Meet The Latinas in Tech Board of Directors</h3><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/pH87yp-695SOE20E7R5z25FG1EDGGBobv5226LAZw_jbckLMjbQ0pxBlxt327w33Jl05i0jCI_XkQMiYqR7K4MSh9mGWDDm60tJ3I5iG5au0lGBQH7ljKnqVi6IWN5XNOQEUoiRh2hrru9C2RIN5eXE"><h2>Rose Hartwig</h2>Managing Partner, Marketing Fluency, former VP of Marketing, Peloton"I’ve long-admired Latinas in Tech for the important work they’re doing to bring a more diverse generation of women into the tech industry and empower them to thrive and rise into positions of leadership. While women make up 28% of the tech workforce in the U.S., only 2% are Latina. I’m eager to make an impact with LiT's Board of Directors and for the dynamic community we serve to change those numbers for the better in the U.S. and as we expand internationally." - Rose HartwigAbout Rose:Rose Hartwig is a global marketing and communications executive who advises boards and C-suite leaders on transformational brand and growth strategies. She brings more than 20 years of experience working at the leading edge of emerging trends and technologies including Peloton, Google, Cohesity and Meta.&nbsp; Rose currently leads advisory and consulting firm Marketing Fluency, where she helps tech companies grow, scale, and evolve in highly dynamic environments. Most recently, Rose was SVP, Global Brand &amp; Product Marketing at Peloton where she led the teams responsible for consumer strategy and insights, brand, and go-to-market for the fitness company’s portfolio of products. Earlier in her career, Rose held marketing leadership roles at Palm and 3Com. Rose earned an MBA from The University of Michigan and a B.S. in Communications from Northwestern University. She is an Executive Member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and a mentor to rising leaders through several business, academic, and non-profit organizations.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosehartwig/"> Find her on LinkedIn</a>.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678811144/gallery/6410a00876529/annxxo1jkngfrqce7yjp.png"><h2>Mayra Montaño</h2>CEO of Mayra Montano CPA“Throughout my career, I’ve heard the remarks, ‘You cannot be hired/promoted/considered because we don’t recognize your school, we prefer someone with no accent, or your culture is different and will be considered disruptive’. About a year and half ago I realized that, as an independent consultant, my work has always been above exceptional, and only when I work for others, do these comments surface. So I decided to start my own practice and continue to provide excellence without compromising my Latinidad. Also, to show companies that being different is not disruptive. I want to help Latinas in Tech tell this story to show companies that we have the same education, the same experience but maybe our drive and disposition is better. We do qualify for those roles, we deserve those opportunities and our being is not an impediment.” - Mayra MontañoAbout Mayra:A strategic, ethical, and highly resourceful accounting and finance leader with over 20 years of experience in a multitude of industries and company sizes.Strives on taking on new challenges, pushing her comfort zone boundaries and delivering quality results. Demonstrated experience leading by building team confidence across the organizations.A top performer who successfully works with cross-functional and remote teams, identifies and solves ever-changing needs, and positively impacts an organization to reach and exceed short- and long-term goals.Has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance and a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Financial Management.Currently has clients in Fintech, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, non profit and cybersecurity for which she handles a wide range of projects, such as month end accounting, audit support, interim controllership, international accounting advisory, etc.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayra-montano-cpa-mafm/"> Find her on LinkedIn.</a><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QGApTRXERvFetU75ok9eWu6shzgS-wNvjKY_brv9tgBmc0_KmKaQt_4s6znvHH9H7FcqEJj-Qat7yyzPwnlC-447LX1fJWCAL20S4OHdY71s5amyjtwnHne9dZAV2Met9wq4VMq8ulHmHKK9iw1Ph68"><h2>Rachel ten Brink</h2>General Partner &amp; CEO Red Bike Capital“Being Latina is my superpower. The values of the community have shaped me as a person and a leader: resiliency, fierce determination, strong work ethic, value of human connections, value of education, and love of family.&nbsp; I am thrilled to join the Board of Latinas in Tech, the fast growing organization that connects and empowers Latinas in the Tech ecosystem. We are the new mainstream economy, and I am excited to support Latinas contributing to the strength and economic power of our nation.” - Rachel ten BrinkAbout Rachel:Rachel ten Brink is General Partner and Co-Founder of Red Bike Capital, a Latinx and woman-led Venture Capital fund based in New York that invests in early stage, high-growth startups that drive the economy and improve people’s lives. Red Bike supports US-based founders in FinTech, Ecommerce SAAS, Marketplaces, and Wellness. Rachel has been a board member and senior advisor for various companies and serves on the Board of Directors of AboveBoard and Dyper.Rachel is a Y Combinator Founder turned VC. Prior to founding Red Bike Capital, she was Co-Founder and CMO of Scentbird, a Y-Combinator backed ecommerce startup that raised $29MM in venture funding- which makes her one of just 90 Latinas to have ever raised over $1M in funding. Leading Growth, Brand and Revenue, she scaled Scentbird to 500,000 paid subscribers and built 74 partnerships with corporations including Coty, Macy’s and Glossier. Before this, she spent fifteen years building global billion-brands at P&amp;G, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-ten-brink-a08151/"> Find her on LinkedIn.&nbsp;</a>

Powerhouse Latinas Join Latinas in Tech Governing Board of Directors

Blog Contributor: Beatriz Albini-Ruiz, CEO, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.primeyoucoaching.com/">Prime You Coaching</a>Today is<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/equal-pay-day-calendar/"> #equalpayday2023</a>. The upsetting truth is that women and other professionals from underrepresented backgrounds are often paid less than their Caucasian male counterparts. In the U.S., women make 84% of men's wages, which amounts to approximately $500 billion per year.Furthermore, Black women make only 0.67 cents on the dollar and Latinas ranked the lowest in pay equality among other underrepresented groups, earning 46% less than their white male counterparts and 30% less than their white female counterparts. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://leanin.org/data-about-the-gender-pay-gap-for-latinas,%2012-14-2020">&nbsp;Research</a> indicates that the pay gap starts at the beginning of their career, and in a lifetime of 40 years, women of color will make $900,000* less than their white male counterparts. The numbers are no better when it comes to the rate of promotion, which is 6% below their male counterparts.&nbsp;It's shocking and beyond disappointing that in this day and age, many successful minority professionals miss out on being rewarded for their hard work. And although the system is undeniably broken, the sad truth is that when it comes to salary increases and promotions, too many employees from underrepresented groups leave money on the table due to not knowing how to negotiate or due to self-sabotage- aka fears, limiting beliefs and others inner-narratives that are not supportive.<h3>Closing the GAP</h3>If we are serious about closing the gap, we need to attack it from all fronts. Both from the legal standpoint, normalize salary transparency laws-&nbsp; as well we need to normalize and demystify salary/<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.primeyoucoaching.com/post/how-to-negotiate-a-raise"> promotion negotiation talk</a> within our communities.For me this fight is personal. As an immigrant and first gen corporate professional I failed to negotiate my first job offer believing that the other side had the best interest at heart. As a result I later learned that my male peer was making 10k more and I could never recover or reach parity within that company.&nbsp;After that I decided to make it my mission to master negotiation tactics and use every tool in my toolbox for this never to happen to me again. Now as a coach, I make the point to pass on my lessons and learnings to my clients and community.&nbsp;Let’s look at what you should do before applying, before your interview, and after you’ve received an offer.&nbsp;<h3>Steps to Take Before Applying</h3>Negotiation tactics need to start long before you even apply for a job. It’s easy to get swept up in the possibilities of a new opportunity and not even think about negotiation tactics at this stage. Yet these steps are so necessary.#1 Own Your WorthReframe your mindset. Understandably, a myriad of fears starts manifesting as you apply for jobs. However, having the right mindset in place is key.&nbsp; Internalize that you will bring value wherever you go and should be compensated appropriately. Examine your experience, knowledge, skills, and accreditations. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and tend to underestimate all the tremendous value we bring to the table, aka ALL l our experiences, diverse perspective, and cultural richness. Therefore we tend to play it safe or lowball ourselves therefore losing even before entering into a negotiation.#2 Do Your Market ResearchThere is nothing more damaging than not doing your homework when it comes to salary negotiation. Knowledge is power, and doing market research can make or break your negotiation. There are many tools online that can help you understand the typical pay for the position. Use sites like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Salay.com">Salay.com</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/know-your-worth.htm?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=US_B2C_Consumer_Brand_2022">Glassdoor salary calculator,</a> and&nbsp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.payscale.com/for-individuals/">Payscale</a> to research the salary range for the role you’re negotiating for. When you do your research, make sure to include:<ul><li>Geographic location</li><li>Years of industry experience</li><li>Education level</li><li>Career level (entry, mid, senior)</li><li>Licenses and certifications</li><li>Specialized skills</li></ul>What I usually recommend is to include all relevant numbers in excel and then come up with an average or midrange. I also like having at least five data sources to ensure that I look at the complete picture.<h3>Steps to Take Before Negotiations</h3>Once you’ve applied for a role, start prepping for negotiations early. Remember that employers are looking for a highly qualified candidate and a good fit for the team but also will be looking at saving money in their budgets, so they will aim to get a new hire below market. To that end, one thing is clear, you need to be prepared to negotiate.#3 Think Beyond SalaryNow is an excellent time to understand what else the company offers to set your negotiation targets. Get a sense of their compensation packages, including 401k, insurance, education, and paid time off. As you start to weigh the pros and cons of the role, knowing the additional benefits will help you decide the lowest salary you are willing to accept.#4 Know Your Walk Away PointBefore you enter a salary negotiation, you need to know what is your “salary sweet spot” is and what is your “walkaway point.” For the first,&nbsp; hopefully, you have the research handy and also have done some financial calculations at home. For the walkaway point, the main question that you need to answer is, what is the min that you will accept? Anything below that is your walkaway point.Here is something that I learned in all my years of experience both as a coach and a senior HR professional: no deal is better than a bad deal when it comes to salary, unless you are in dire need. What I find is that no matter the situation, slowly but surely, bitterness and unhappiness creep in, because there is nothing worse than feeling cheated out or devalued in terms of salary. Therefore again, if you are in a dire situation, take it with the full knowledge that this is temporary, but otherwise if you can, walk away and fast.<h3>Negotiation Tactics After an Offer</h3>When you receive an offer, the real work begins. You know their range, have done the market research and set your targets (when to accept/when to walk). It’s easy to feel the need to accept right away. Yet, it’s extremely important that you pause and ask for time to consider the offer.#5 Hold Your HorsesResist the urge to break any silence that follows the offer.&nbsp; Whether the offer is perfect or coming in too low, it is entirely acceptable to ask for at least a week to consider. You are their first choice for a reason, and it is rare for employers to have an issue with this request.&nbsp;#6 Always CounterIt is normal to counter with 10-20%, depending on the research. Refer to your market research and your sweet spot number. When you’re ready to respond, send a message to the recruiter asking for a quick 15-minute phone call to discuss. An e-mail with your requests will also work, but a call elicits more empathy, in my experience. You can start by saying, “The base salary for the offer states $____, which is a good starting point. However, based on my research and the demonstrated experience I’ll be bringing to this role, I was looking more for $_____".It’s super important that you do not over-explain yourself here. Listen carefully.&nbsp;Often the recruiter will say something like, “this is the budget for the role” or say they have to run it by finance. Just say thank you and clarify when you can expect an answer.<h3>Preparation is the golden key to success in any negotiation</h3>We all know that negotiation during the hiring process is key to being paid what you deserve and closing the pay gap. However, any negotiator will tell you that there is only one way to win, and is by prepping and rehearsing and preparing some more. Prepare for negotiations in the same way you do for an interview so you avoid<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.primeyoucoaching.com/post/the-9-deadly-sins-of-salary-negotiation"> these </a>mistakes.A great resource available for for free for a short period of time, is my <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://primeyoucoaching.aweb.page/p/45216321-3a38-4d68-b48d-73e3e13bd4ee">Salary and Promotion Negotiation Guide</a> This free resource will go deeper and provide you with real tips on how to successfully negotiate your next promotion or salary raise.&nbsp;Book a time with me <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/bruiz-albini/30min?month=2020-09">here.</a>*based on a median salary of 60K/yr and 3% annual base pay increase. - Written By:Beatriz Albini-Ruiz, CEO, Prime You Coaching Executive Leadership and Career Success Coach&nbsp; |&nbsp; HR Consultant. |&nbsp; ACC, CPC,&nbsp; ELI-MP, PHR&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;COR.E&nbsp; Transitions and Leadership Dynamics&nbsp;Specialist <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.primeyoucoaching.com/">https://www.primeyoucoaching.com/</a>

Negotiation Strategies to Close the Gender Pay Gap

We had the opportunity to sit down with Denise Carolina Videtta, Engineering Manager at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://grnh.se/82ce2ad71us">Asana</a>, and talk about how she got inspired to pursue a career in tech, obstacles she faced in corporate American work culture, and lessons she learned as she moved into leadership roles. She shares her story in hopes it inspires more women, especially Latinas, to enter the engineering field.&nbsp;Tell us a bit about yourself, your family and upbringing.&nbsp;I’m originally from Caracas, Venezuela, the oldest of 3 siblings, and I’m married and have 2 daughters. I studied Computer Science at Simón Bolívar University. After college, I came to the United States to get my Master’s and joined an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. I knew how to read in English but couldn’t hold a conversation. In undergrad, Computer Science classes were all taught in Spanish, while the online research and reading I’d do was sometimes in English. The code language (i.e. Java) was in English as well, but we used Spanish for variable naming, classes, comments, and documentation. Basically, we were coding in Spanglish!&nbsp;Given that I could read and understand English, but struggled and felt scared to converse,I signed up for the Conversation Partner Program as part of my ESL course. Having weekly informal conversations helped me gain confidence and lose the fear of speaking in English.After the ESL course, I joined the Master’s degree in Software Engineering program at Texas State University (TXST). During the first two years of my professional career, I worked as a Software Engineer at USAA in San Antonio, TX. Then, I moved to California, where I was a Software Engineer at a few companies before joining Asana.What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?I enjoy solving problems, organizing things, and finding solutions to challenges. In high school, I received an assignment to build a calculator using Visual Basic. I remember being in the lab, thinking “How can I build?” After using computer language to successfully complete the assignment, I had the satisfaction of having solved a problem, and having fun in the process! I realized I wanted to do more of this in my career, which led me to start a Computer Science program in college. I soon realized that the Computer Science program was unique because I was one of just a few women there. I didn’t know then that this was going to be a constant in my career.&nbsp;&nbsp;When I moved to the United States, I continued to be one of few women Software Engineers, both in my Master’s program and job afterwards. It was hard to find people similar to me. I learned how important it is to feel welcomed as you are and be accompanied by people who share a culture. For me, this adds a level of reassurance and confidence - being able to speak the same language or share childhood stories that others easily understand.I became an Engineering Manager because I like helping teams and individuals grow and execute, I love solving problems and that’s what I do everyday with my team. Being one of a few women Software Engineers and recognizing how rare it is to see a Latina Engineering Manager inspired me to pursue this path.Is there anything you struggled with as a Latina or immigrant trying to adapt to corporate work culture?This is not necessarily an obstacle but as a Latin person, I talk like I’m telling a story. We use a lot of words and are very descriptive in the way we talk. In the US, you have to be concrete, straight to the point. You don’t have to go into the whole background story to get your point across. For example, if you write an email to someone in Venezuela or a Latin American country, you ask about their family members, pets, how their day went, all of it. I remember when I asked a professor in my Master’s program something. I wrote a very long email - as I was used to - and the answer I got was, “Yes, that.” I was shocked. I asked myself, “What did I do? Why is he so rude?” Then I realized that I wrote that entire email asking one question, and he indeed gave me the answer. I just expected more of a written dialogue.&nbsp;Another instance was when a former manager told me I had a tendency to share a lot but wasn’t clear as to why. In my culture, you don’t have to explain why you’re sharing certain information, you just tell and interact. I’ve learned that in US culture,&nbsp; time is considered really valuable, so if you’re getting time from someone, you have to be concrete and explain what the expectations are from that conversation, meeting or interaction. This is something I had to work on, as my mind wasn’t wired that way.Now, I’ll clearly state my goal for the meeting upfront; “I’m sharing this with you as an FYI,” “I need your advice on this,” or “Can you please review and provide feedback?” I ensure I communicate why I am reaching out to a person. I've also given similar feedback to my team members to make sure I understand what they need from me. I always tell my team I need them to help me help them. If they don't share the reason behind their ask, I may not be able to provide the help they need. As Latinx women, we fight through many challenges (cultural expectations, workplace biases, etc.), is there one you’re currently working through?People tell me I am a unicorn because I am a woman in tech, a Latina, a mom, and an Engineering Manager, and that is rare to see in our industry. I haven’t had the opportunity to be around people with all those same identities, not in my professional or personal circle. I do know women in tech who are moms, and I know Latinx Engineering Managers, but I don’t have a community of Latina Engineering Managers who are moms. Thankfully, at Asana, a Latinx community in Engineering exists as well as a Latinx Employee Resource Group (ERG) called Raiz. I’m fortunate to be able to collaborate with other Latinx Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and individual contributors (ICs) from all genders.&nbsp;Early in my professional career, I was the only Latina Software Engineer at my company. When I first got to know Asana, it was through a few events I attended where I met Latinx Engineering Managers. One of them ended up being one of my interviewers after I applied! Once I joined, I met other Latinx peers on the Engineering team. Together, we continue to add to the growing Latinx engineering community, which includes representation at every level.&nbsp;There are also a lot of women in Engineering leadership at Asana. These women are super successful, and they are not shy to share their knowledge with me and support my growth.&nbsp;Asana is taking active steps to ensure we have Latinx representation at every level, and that’s what I really care about. I consider myself lucky that I've been able to build my career at a company that aligns with my goals.&nbsp;In your day-to-day life, what is one activity/thing that keeps you connected to your Latinx identity?The language! I speak Spanish at home and it keeps me connected to my Venezuelan roots while living, building my career, and raising my children in an English-speaking country.&nbsp;In addition to celebrating my Latinx culture at home, I don’t feel like I have to hide who I am at work. I can be true to who I am. I show up as me, every day, in every interaction.&nbsp;Looking to the future, what inspires you, and what are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;I love challenges, so I’m excited to keep growing. There’s always something new to look for, a next step. I’m always asking myself whether I am feeling challenged. The engineering community at Asana is super talented, so there are a lot of learning and growth opportunities. This excites me.&nbsp;At Asana, I joined Gigabyte, a community for women in Product Engineering. Through Gigabyte, I got a mentor who is absolutely inspiring. She encouraged me to do a lot of things that I didn’t know I could or was afraid to do. One example is that I came up with a few ideas on how to improve the Engineering Manager onboarding experience. I’d identified deficiencies and gaps, and I proposed solutions to the process. I ran my ideas by her and she asked me if I had shared them with the engineering community at Asana. I hadn’t. She advised me to advertise the work I’d done. Initially, I was hesitant. I didn’t know the Engineering Managers well. My mentor said it didn’t matter, my idea was good and should be shared publicly, so others would know my impact. This resulted in me joining the onboarding committee where I helped make the onboarding experience for Engineering Managers at Asana better.I received positive feedback from my contributions to the onboarding process. Because I was encouraged by my mentor and the community is super welcoming, I feel comfortable publicly sharing my ideas (whereas before I thought, “Who am I to promote myself?) and people welcome my thoughts on Engineering Manager topics. The engineering community at Asana is really open and helpful regardless of title, department, or area of work. I feel empowered to share my work. When we all do this, it expands our collective access to knowledge.Since then, I’ve become a Gigabyte mentor myself. Moving forward, I look forward to continuing to find people like the Gigabyte community. People&nbsp; who motivate me and who I can learn from.What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget? And one that you would like to give to the Latinas in Tech Community?The power of delegation. Delegating is an art. It’s not simple. It requires practice and getting feedback to make sure you’re giving the person you are delegating to the space to do the job while providing the right level of support.&nbsp;It took time to get to the point where I was comfortable delegating my responsibilities. As an IC you don’t delegate a lot, you just get the work done on your own. When you become a lead or&nbsp; a manager, you have to delegate so you can do your role while helping others grow.One of my direct reports came to me once and said “I don’t think you trust me.” I was surprised. He was one of the best performers on my team. I asked him why he felt that way and he said, “You're doing my work.” When I heard those words, it clicked. My role had changed and I was in a place where I had to let go of IC responsibilities. That was an aha moment. He was right. I wasn’t letting him do his job because I wasn’t used to managing, that hadn’t been my job before. That moment was a lesson for me. I had to change my mindset and let go of how I was used to working so I could effectively grow to the next level.&nbsp;Any podcasts, books or blog recommendations for Latinas?<ol><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://adamgrant.net/podcasts/work-life/">Work Life with Adam Grant</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://adamgrant.net/podcasts/rethinking/">Rethinking with Adam Grant</a></li></ol>I like to listen to podcasts and like the ones created by Adam Grant because he makes me rethink the status quo. Grant studies people's behavior and his episodes always give me a different perspective to apply to my work or personal life. From conflict resolution to how to approach relationships, to how you grow your career, he covers useful topics.&nbsp;I recommend joining community-based organizations, like Latinas in Tech, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://techqueria.org/">Techqueria</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.venezolanasintech.org/">Venezolanas in Tech</a>.&nbsp;And if you’d like to learn more about being a Latina Engineering Manager, I wrote a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://blog.asana.com/2021/09/latina-engineering-manager/">blog post</a> on my experience and participated in a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/fWyTI3mITNE?t=352">panel on succeeding as an Engineering Manager</a>.Anything else you would like to share (about your career journey, personal growth, any tips, career advice, etc.)&nbsp;Having a support system has helped me a lot. My husband, family, and teammates are very supportive. It’s not always easy to keep going. There are changes and challenges in life that can derail you. Being heard and having a group of people who hear me and push me to grow is something that I really appreciate. When you have that person, that community that is rooting for you and supports you through it all, it motivates you to become a better version of yourself and provides you with encouragement and positive feedback.-
To learn more about Asana and see their current job openings, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/company/asana">visit their company profile</a> on our website.*Sponsored post by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://asana.com/jobs/all">Asana</a>.&nbsp;

The mindset shift that needs to happen to grow into leadership roles

We had the opportunity to chat with Giselle Bonilla, Director, Global Real Estate &amp; Capital Projects at Zendesk. She shares her career journey to a role that isn’t talked about much within the industry - Facilities Management. Facilities Management has four key focuses: supporting people, establishing processes, facilities upkeep and improvement, and technology integration.&nbsp;&nbsp;You can sense the passion Giselle has for her line of work and the pride she feels when opening a new office location; it gives the company and employees a steady foundation for success. Thank you for sharing your story with us.Tell us a bit about yourself, your family, and upbringing.I’m a first generation American, born and raised in Orange County, California. My parents are from Medellin and Bogota, Colombia and migrated to the U.S. in the 1960s. I had an epic childhood having lived near Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the beach communities. This was the dream neighborhood as a child! I attended Catholic school for 8 years, an experience I did not enjoy as I was 1 of 2 Latinos in my grade in a predominantly white school. Luckily, I was able to break away from all of that by attending a public high school with lots of diversity allowing me to be around other Latino kids like me. My parents encouraged us to travel internationally for many years which taught me to appreciate other cultures and be curious about the world outside of the U.S.Can you share your career trajectory, how did you get to where you are today?&nbsp;Back in 2002, I was the Office Manager for a real estate investment bank in San Francisco, CA. After a few years, the company had to relocate and they appointed me as project coordinator to work with the architect, furniture dealer, and contractors to design the new office and coordinate the relocation of the entire company. This is what inspired me to research a career in facilities management and corporate real estate, a field that I’ve loved ever since. After this experience, I went back to school and got a certification in Facilities Management &amp; Corporate Real Estate that enabled me to further my career in this field and land some pretty amazing roles that have shaped me as a professional and as a leader.What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?My first facilities management job was for StubHub, an eCommerce ‘tech’ company. That was a super fun yet intense job but it opened the doors of opportunity for me in the tech space. Tech employers invest in their corporate and multi-locations experience as a branding and marketing tool to attract and retain talent. The programs that we provide to our employees help attract and retain talent but also provide a high-level of hospitality that boost in-office productivity and in-person collaboration.How has your latinidad helped you navigate obstacles in your career?I seldom take ‘NO’ for an answer. I’ve learned to be solution oriented when faced with obstacles and challenges. This mindset enables me to push through boundaries in life and work settings. My dad instilled in me the value of work ethic, dedication, and perseverance.&nbsp;How has your culture (and/or other identity markers) shaped you as a leader?&nbsp;I am my own best advocate and speak up for the things I believe in. I don’t rely on others for a leg up in the world. I’m a self-determined woman who follows her instincts. As a young woman, I would just accept whatever opportunities were available to me. Through experience and maturity, I’ve developed more confidence and I’ve learned to identify what I want in my life and career. I am not scared to pursue opportunities that are sometimes outside of my comfort zone because it’s all an effort to learn and grow. ‘La vida empieza al final de tu zona de confort.’As Latinx women, we fight through many challenges (cultural expectations, workplace biases, etc.), is there one you’re currently working through?Yes! Workplace bias is an ongoing and a sensitive topic given the volume of layoffs taking place in the tech industry today. Is DEI factored into management's decisions when forced to lay off employees? And who will absorb all of the work from employees impacted by layoffs?&nbsp;This forces me to push boundaries on DEI matters to propose that work is distributed equally.&nbsp; It is true that a person of color could feel threatened or fear termination because of the unrealistic&nbsp; workloads. It begs the question, “Will I get fired for pushing back on the workload?” or feel a sense of obligation that, “I have to say yes to every project or else I could get terminated”. This is a trauma and way of thinking that was inherited by our parents and their generation, to do as told regardless of how stressed or overworked one feels.I’m triggered by these issues because the cultural expectations of my immigrant Colombian family subliminally remind me that I have to work twice as hard as a white man to get ahead in life and in my career here in America.In your day-to-day life, what is one activity/thing that keeps you connected to your Latinx identity?My family, my extended family on social media (FB/Insta), Latin music, and Spanish Netflix. I travel to Mexico a lot to experience the culture. There are many similarities to my Colombian culture but there are several cultural nuances unique to Mexico, like in any other Latin country, and that’s what I enjoy the most. I love cooking Latin food! Last month my mom taught me how to make Colombian Arepas, a staple in the Colombian diet. It strengthened my bond with my family’s culture - to now be a part of something that is passed down from generation to generation.Looking to the future, what inspires you, and what are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;I’d really love to expand my work capabilities to Latin America. At Zendesk, we have small offices in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. But I’d love more exposure working in LATAM regions. I’d love to open a new Zendesk office in LATAM in the future.&nbsp;On the personal side, I’m planning a family trip back to Colombia to experience a few landmarks; visiting the coastal Caribbean towns of Barú and Cartagenta, to explore ‘cafeteros’, which are coffee plantations in a popular coffee region of Armenia and spend time with extended family in Medellín.In your role at Zendesk, what have been some of the most memorable and impactful projects you’ve worked on so far?I have been able to give life to lots of office leasing and architecture and design projects. Pre-pandemic we opened some pretty amazing offices in San Francisco, CA, Madison WI, and Singapore that I’m really proud of. And last year we opened new offices in Montreal and Krakow that are beautiful and inspiring workspaces focused on in-person collaboration. If you're curious about it, you can check out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/zendesk-montreal-office/">Zendesk's new Montreal office</a> featured in Azure Magazine.What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget? And one that you would like to give to the Latinas in Tech Community?Change is inevitable, growth is optional.The workplace has a revolving door. Work hard because the next big opportunity could be yours if you’re prepared for it.Any podcasts, books or blog recommendations for Latinas?I’ve read most of Gabriel García Márquez’ books and short stories in Spanish in an effort to improve my Spanish reading skills.-To learn more about Zendesk's career opportunities visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://jobs.zendesk.com/us/en">https://jobs.zendesk.com/us/en</a>.*Sponsored post by Zendesk.

The Latina Spearheading Facilities & Global Real Estate at Zendesk

<h3>A Jefa move to celebrate! Latina-led Fintech companies merge to help close the wealth gap.</h3>Today is an excellent day for Latinas in Tech and the broader Latina community. It has just been announced that SUMA Wealth, the category-creating financial technology company devoted to increasing prosperity, opportunity, and financial inclusion for young U.S. Latinos, has completed the acquisition of savings and personal finance platform, Reel.As part of the merger, Reel Co-Founder and CEO Daniela Corrente will become a part of SUMA’s executive suite as Chief of Strategy and Business Development. Daniela will join the Co-Founders, CEO Beatriz Acevedo, and COO Mary Hernandez,making this seasoned trio one of the first solely Latina executive teams to lead a fintech company.Latinas in Tech could not be prouder of this team of Latina Jefas.“I’ve been a fan of Daniela and of everything she’s built at Reel for many years, so I’m incredibly excited about this acquisition. It not only expands SUMA’s capabilities, it adds a visionary executive to our team,” Beatriz Acevedo said.&nbsp;The merging of the two companies creates an unprecedented partnership as SUMA becomes the first to acquire a fellow Latina-founded financial technology company, flipping the script and shattering glass ceilings. Latinos represent almost 20% of the US population but only hold 2% of all available technology jobs. This gives SUMA the ammunition to double down on their long-term mission to close the wealth gap, resolve fundamental financial inequalities, and tackle the unrealized $182 billion opportunity that U.S. Latinos represent in Fintech and Edtech.“Latinos contribute $2.8 trillion to America’s GDP, yet there were no financial platforms that gave them full visibility into their financial lives in a culturally relevant way. SUMA does that by creating community, content, and technology in a way that truly resonates with them.” Daniela Corrente added.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIUbMPBw5TE?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Latina Financial Powerhouses Join Forces</h3>The newly formed executive team made up of Acevedo, Corrente, and Hernandez brings a unique lens to this industry as first and second-generation immigrants who experienced the very obstacles SUMA is taking on firsthand. By tapping into their shared personal experiences and innovating through culturally relevant solutions, SUMA can offer financial education to the Latino community; create the largest, most relevant financial hub for U.S. Latino consumers; and accelerate the development of a robust platform where brands and financial institutions gain access to one of the fastest growing demographics in the United States.The acquisition of Reel provides their groundbreaking proprietary technology, loyal users that will grow SUMA’s collective usership by 80%, and access to data from their large Latino user base. This will double SUMA’s offerings to include financial management tools including Reel’s proprietary algorithm that suggests multivariate savings plans based on a number of factors that are personal to each user and other resources that will lead to more transactions and greater engagement within the SUMA app.“By bringing Reel’s technology, user data, and industry-leading knowledge of consumer psychology to Suma’s platform, we’ll significantly accelerate our product roadmap, giving our consumers new financial products and opportunities more quickly and more efficiently,” Acevedo added.SUMA is a dedicated financial culture-forward platform devoted to helping Latinos build wealth by making financial products and knowledge more accessible, allowing them to take ownership of their financial future. The Reel acquisition will make these efforts more effective for more people.About SUMA Wealth:SUMA Wealth is the leading financial technology company devoted to increasing prosperity, opportunity, and financial inclusion for young U.S. Latinos. SUMA's innovative approach deploys technology to build financial tools and products that are engaging, culturally relevant, and useful to the community. SUMA also creates user-centric content and brand-based experiences that help the community to build wealth and control their financial future. To learn more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @wearesuma or visit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.sumawealth.com/">&nbsp;http://www.sumawealth.com/</a>.About Reel:Reel savings platform makes it simple for people to automate their cash flow towards their goals, so they can get what they want without piling on unnecessary debt. Reel's mission is to unlock a better financial future by showing people the potential of their own saved money.

Latina-Led Fintech Companies, SUMA & Reel, Merge To Help Close The Wage Gap

2022 was our busiest year with a total of 85 hosted events (61 virtual and 24 in-person and 2 in the metaverse). So many were filled with so many collaborations and topics that are of interest and need to our community. Keeping it short, these are the top 5 highest attended Latinas in Tech webinars from last year for you to catch it in case you missed it.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AS9_pTMLNbA?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace</h3>In collaboration with Accenture and Sacramento ChapterPart of the “Brown Bag” education sessions, Accenture and the Sacramento Chapter assembled a panel of executive Latina leaders with diverse backgrounds to speak about their career journeys, the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the work environment, and the strategies they employ to achieve DEI goals.&nbsp;Watch the recording on YouTube:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS9_pTMLNbA&amp;t=35s">Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace</a><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AS9_pTMLNbA?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Re-inventing the jobs of tomorrow: From designing remote cultures to changing traditional paradigms</h3>In collaboration with TribalA few years ago, working from home – or anywhere in the world – was practically a dream. Today, remote work is a reality as tech companies have re-considered the traditional office. Latinas in Tech partnered with Tribal to talk about this interesting topic along with their leaders and how they are re-shaping the jobs of tomorrow. With the perspective of a variety of Women Leaders at Tribal, attendees learned about how employers can adapt and align to the needs of emerging talent. Whether you are starting your career or thinking to change your career path, this panel discussion was available to all.Watch the recording on YouTube: Re-Inventing the Jobs of Tomorrow: From Designing Remote Cultures to Changing Traditional Paradigms<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_HMgANJSR5o?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Being Your Authentic Self: Latinidad in the Workplace&nbsp;</h3>In collaboration with SofiAddressing the challenges of diversity and equity within the Tech industry is crucial. It requires multi-faceted efforts to amplify the voices of underrepresented employees and create workplace cultures that center inclusion. This is particularly important for FinTech companies, as diverse and inclusive environments lead to better ideas, more fruitful collaboration, and more innovative approaches to meet the needs of the increasingly diverse world. In partnership with Sofi, Latinas in Tech welcomed their community for an open conversation with leaders at SoFi and learned how being your authentic self is your greatest career asset!Watch the recording on YouTube: Being Your Authentic Self: Latinidad in the Workplace<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ivofa84rg4Y?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Owning your Heritage as an Executive Leader: Fireside Chat Cesar Cernuda,&nbsp; President at NetApp &amp; Maria Murillo, VP of Finance&nbsp;</h3>In collaboration with NetAppLatinas in Tech and NetApp invited members to an exclusive Fireside Chat conversation with Cesar Cernuda, President at NetApp &amp; Maria Murillo, VP of Finance at NetApp, as they discussed their prosperous career journey, understand how to partner with allies, ow their heritage and upbringing has provided space for diversity of opinions and experiences and creating a sense of belonging as employees move up the ranks.Watch the recording on YouTube:&nbsp;Owning your Heritage as an Executive Leader<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ivofa84rg4Y?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div><h3>Celebrating Wins and Your Authentic Self&nbsp;</h3>In collaboration with NetflixNetflix and Latinas in Tech presented, "Celebrating Wins and Your Authentic Self", an impactful discussion where Latinx members at Netflix shared their perspectives and tips on how to celebrate your wins throughout your tech journey. We’ll also discuss ways to maintain authenticity while combating imposter syndrome and thriving in the workplace.&nbsp;YouTube: Netflix x Latinas in Tech: Celebrating Wins and Your Authentic Self<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XuNZvlo_qUI?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div>You can visit our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/events">events calendar</a> for any upcoming webinars and in-person events.

2022's Most Popular Webinars from Latinas In Tech

Last year still seems unreal, so much happened within our organization but if we had to choose one word to summarize our 2022 it would be GROWTH!As a Latina owned nonprofit, to see how much we have accomplished fills our heart, but to see how much our organization is needed still breaks my heart a little. I am for a world where Latinas in Tech nonprofit is no longer needed because that means that Latinas and women of color have equal opportunity and pay, seats at the table and are given the opportunity to innovate and lead. There is still so much to do to see this kind of change but we’re not stopping anytime soon. In 2022 we focused our message on the importance of representation in decision-making positions, in the fact that Latina Jefas are not only the correct thing to do but it is also the important business decision to make.This is a brief summary of all the greatness that happened last year.&nbsp;<h3>Members and Chapters</h3>By the end of 2022, we touched the lives of 25,000 Latinas through our events and programs (a 41% growth!!) and ended the year with a total of 22 chapters. Want to give a warm welcome to our North Carolina and Dublin chapters. Globally we have a total of 112 Latinas in Tech Chapter leaders and 11,272 chapter members. Our chapters were able to re-introduce in-person events during the summer since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March of 2020. Our members are in need of that in-person community touch which made these in-person events a great success. Be sure to stay on top of our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/events">events calendar</a>&nbsp;to participate virtually or in an event in your city. Which is incredible!The Latina is Tech community is growing worldwide and we’ve received so many requests for new chapters, so if you’re interested in leading a chapter in a city near you, let us know. You can go to our website to find a chapter near you..Another celebration is that we doubled the number of LinkedIn followers from 20K to 40K in one year. That still blows my mind!<h3>Internal Team</h3>In 2020 we were only 4 employees at Latinas In Tech, we ended the year with a total 16 team members, full-time staff and contractors. Because of them, we’ve been able to do so much thus far and I’m really excited for what’s to come in 2023 and beyond. If you haven’t done so already welcome<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/about"> our new team members</a>:<ul><li>Andrea Aragon, Customer Success Manager</li><li>Jennifer Madera, Marketing Manager</li><li>Nancy Magallan, Associate Project Manager</li><li>Natalie DePhillips, Sponsorship Manager</li><li>Cecilia Gonzalez, Web Developer</li></ul>We’re excited to have more people join our team in other capacities to further our mission and create change in the lives of our members.<h3>Events</h3>When it comes to events, 2022 was our busiest year yet with a total of 85 hosted events (61 virtual, 24 in-person and 2 in the metaverse).&nbsp;Our busiest month for event was during Hipic Heritage Month where we collaborated with sponsors such as Google, Sofi, Splunk, Charles Schwab, NetApp, Home Depot, LinkedIn, Netflix and Qualtrics to celebrate and honor our culture along with sharing stories of employees at these companies to showcase what being Hipic and Latino in Corporate America looks like.During Hipic Heritage Month, Latinas in Tech teamed up with Korbel California Champagne in an award-winning campaign to honor 30 Latinas who are excelling in the Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math (STEM) industries. These LUMINARIAS are revolutionizing their fields and lighting the path for younger generations. Latinas in Tech and Korbel enlisted renowned digital artist Lucia Diaz to create NFT portraits of our honorees. Each Luminarias portrait may be purchased at a charity auction, with all proceeds donated to Latinas in Tech. Learn more here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weareluminarias.com/">https://www.weareluminarias.com/</a>Additionally we spoke with over 20 tech companies’ employees in commemoration of Hipic Heritage Month.<h3>Summit 2022</h3>The Latinas in Tech Summit is the largest Tech event for Latinas not only in the USA but in the world. Last May, we had over 2,060 registrations representing 758 different companies and 78% of them identify as Latinx, (the rest, as Allies). Our 3-day virtual Latinas in Tech Summit took place last May to bring Latina technologists, business leaders, philanthropists, investors, developers, innovators, designers, and content creators in one place.We had Dolores Huerta, Founder &amp; President of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doloreshuerta.org/">Dolores Huerta Foundation&nbsp;</a>as our VIP Speaker. She is an Activist and labor leader, she has worked to improve social and economic conditions for farmworkers and to fight discrimination. She created the Agricultural Workers Association (AWA) in 1960 and co-founded what would become the United Farm Workers (UFW). Dolores stepped down from the UFW in 1999, but she continues to be recognized for her efforts to better the working conditions of workers and of humanity in general and has received numerous awards including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights in 1998, the Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.We also held our Latinas in Tech Startup Competition which aims to discover, support and amplify tech startups with at least one Latina co-founder. We were able to award 3 non-dilutive cash prizes ($20K, $10K, and $5K) to our top three winners.&nbsp;<ul><li>1st place - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sortile.co/">Sortile</a> | Sustainability | New York, NY</li><li>2nd place - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pancake.live/">Pancake</a> | Design Services | Dover, DE</li><li>3rd place - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.kredfeed.com/">KredFeed&nbsp;</a> | FinTech |&nbsp; Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico</li></ul>Our ultimate goal is to catalyze the growth of recently founded startups that are determined to become billion-dollar companies.You can learn more about last year's summit by looking at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P-IQz-8Q5KPxx-Jtr980BLqP9Wd1p2MX/view"> our LiT 2022 Summit Retrospective</a> or visiting our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintechsummit.org/">2022 Summit website</a><h3>Programs</h3>In 2022 we launched our first ever Mentorship Pilot Program 2022, the Mentorship Program aimed to associate members of Latinas in Tech at all stages of professional development with a mentor, offering encouragement, support and direction to help mentees understand their untapped capacity, develop skills and accomplish their individual objectives. The mentorship pilot program impacted 163 Mentees with the help of 135 Mentors.&nbsp;We also began the planning of the Latinas in Tech Entrepreneurship Program, the initiative is focused on providing resources, access to educational programming, and supporting Latinx entrepreneurs.The inaugural 6-week cohort of entrepreneurs seek to equip Latina entrepreneurs with necessary skills to develop their startups or scale their current startups to the next level. The workshops and activations include: Idea to proof of concept, Finding a Co-Founder Mixer, Developing a Business Plan, Raising Venture Capital, Building Your Pitch and an Entrepreneurship Panel. Our first cohort will begin in February 2023. You can learn more about our<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/programs"> programs here.</a>We also launched our beta Learning Hub resource for our community with the support of Comcast Universal. The Latinas in Tech team was able to create a database of webinars that will support the professional growth of our members. These videos provide digital tools and soft skills needed for their professional development and career advancement. To access the courses, once logged to your member profile go to the tab<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/learning-hub"> 'My Lit &gt; Learning'</a><h3>Product&nbsp;</h3>Twenty of our sponsor companies have created a company profile on our website which gives them visibility to our Latinas in Tech members. Last year, with our product team, we redesigned the dashboard view using area of work, tools, location and perks that these companies can highlight to attract our members to explore their company for job opportunities. We made product improvements that enable candidates to know front and center what type of benefits and details each job opportunity has. Knowing before applying is key.Our LiT Recruit Job Board had 1,580 jobs posted by top tech companies looking to recruit from our community of technical and non-technical Latinas. Latinas in Tech put a strong emphasis in encouraging companies to avoid recruiting from our community for temporary or contracting roles, and instead focusing on full time opportunities. Our goal is to create JEFAS all across the tech ecosystem, from entry-level all the way to C-Suite leadership roles, because we are capable of innovating and leading.<h3>Donations</h3>We received so much support and monetary donations from partners and allies alike. To see that companies and other organizations are willing to support and invest in our mission to elevate Latinas and create more JEFAS is an amazing thing to witness. There were several donations throughout the year, outside of our sponsor commitments. THANK YOU to those, individuals and companies alike, for believing in our purpose and contributing to future programs through these funds.&nbsp;We had our first #GivingTuesday campaign and we were able to raise over $7,000 with a combination of Facebook Fundraisers hosted by a few of our members and<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinas-in-tech.myshopify.com/"> LiT Shop</a> sales from our Limited Edition LiT JEFA Hoodie.<h3>Awards</h3>Latinas in Tech was honored with three awards in 2022, which brings so much joy to see our organization and community recognized.&nbsp;In October UN Award USA “Rise and Raise Others” Award, category Innovation. This award is an acknowledgement of achievements that women have made supporting and inspiring women and girls all over the world.&nbsp; Watch the winner announcement on YouTube.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3iFXJ59005s?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div>Timestamp 4:28The Latinas in Tech Mexico chapter was awarded by FintechU in&nbsp;FintechU LATAM Awards 2022&nbsp;in the category of&nbsp;Financial Inclusion &amp; Financial Education&nbsp;. One of our Mexico Chapter Leaders Yazareth Sanchez accepted the award.&nbsp;Watch the winner announcement on YouTube.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3wB3Ay_DtU?cc_lang_pref=en&amp;hl=en" start="0"></iframe></div>Timestamp: 57:07In December the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco and the U.S Department of State-Office of Foreign Missions San Francisco celebrated their 200 Anniversary Diplomatic Relations 1822- 2022. ⁠In order to highlight the Tech and Innovation linkage between the Bay Area and Mexico they presented several awards. Latinas in Tech received the Tech Diversity &amp; Inclusion Award.<h3>Press Mentions</h3>Latinas In Tech was featured in several media outlets this year, creating brand awareness and spreading the word to more people that can join our community or learn more about us to partner, sponsor and support.&nbsp;<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2022/01/06/this-engineer-wants-more-latinas-in-cybersecurity.html">The cybersecurity industry has few Latinas. Here's how one pioneer is trying to pave the way for more.</a>(Silicon Valley Journal)</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/GMA3/video/latina-leaders-latinas-tech-90646733?fbclid=IwAR0xcnMU9UoKq_RfyIigNECiu8df6IKZILycxwr126swdqCWdahNPSwVgDU">Latina Leaders: Latinas in Tech</a>(Good Morning America)</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/natasha-caiado-castro-bibiana-gutierez-202922381.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sYXRpbmFzaW50ZWNoLm5ldC8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAKsAjYTltPyNEUwIXbWr_PXQRT2w1y9Bg-U4v2xP2Q5d9bVgO5ilAyd2aJ2AmVFzeheq3KcEAjRmTgp8xu6rZrm1Nw1VBmrsglWEk0WXo9TuzLDgQ_1bu7AjyXq9ox2GuF-AYSmNF9IS0bNcG8LPX4vPkwGlN8wkQpWa28OCWEb">United Nations Women USA | The 2022 MAKERS Conference</a>(Yahoo)</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/latinas-in-tech-colorado/">Latinas in Tech nonprofit works to change underrepresentation in STEM jobs</a>(PBS Rocky Mountains)</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://forbes.com.br/forbes-mulher/2022/12/as-mulheres-que-lideram-os-grupos-de-networking-mais-poderosos-do-pais/">As mulheres à frente dos grupos de networking mais poderosos do país</a>(Forbes Brazil)</li></ul><h3>Special Speaking Engagements</h3>This year we brought our message to multiple stages, from L'attitude in San Diego to the Hipic Caucus Institute in Washington DC.We highlighted the discrepancy between the meaningful, highly skilled workforce that we represent with the lack of growth and over-qualification that our community experiences, including working conditions that are at disparity and that are highly accentuated by our over representation in the contingent worker and “never address” working status.<blockquote>“It all goes from a place of love and the premise that we all want a fair and inclusive work environment”</blockquote><h3>Final Thoughts</h3>It’s incredible to see that what started as a group of women yearning for community and professional development in Silicon Valley eight years ago, is now a fully operational organization that is here to create an impact and affect change for our Latinas in Tech members, sponsors, partners and allies. I sometimes still have to pinch myself because it’s beyond what I thought it could become and it has led me to be in rooms where I never thought I’d be in. Thank you to all of you who had supported Latinas In Tech and believe in our mission to empower and create JEFAS via our professional development, recruiting and mentorship efforts.&nbsp;Here’s to an even stronger 2023!

2022: Our Year in Review at Latinas in Tech

The last few months have been notable for massive U.S tech layoffs. Last year, more than 90,000 jobs were slashed from public and private tech companies, and in early 2023 already more than 46,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies have been laid off, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://news.crunchbase.com/startups/tech-layoffs/">Crunchbase News.</a>My LinkedIn feed has seen a lot of mention about the current layoffs - mostly from people engaging with the posts of those affected. This has triggered my memories, feelings, and trauma of the day that I got laid-off in 2015 for the first time in my career and from a company that I loved and considered to be “my dream” job.&nbsp;I am not going to say "that I know the feeling" or that "I can relate" because times are different and with greater uncertainty. But what I can do is provide advice from what I learned and what I went through in my experience and, hopefully, someone who has been laid-off anytime in the last year or so can find value in these words.<h2>Don't take it personally</h2>Business is business! I personally blamed myself when I got laid-off and felt ashamed and not worthy. But being part of a group of people that gets cut off during a company restructure, acquisition, inflation, etc. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO with your skills, talent, or persona. I wished I had realized this sooner, because at that time my self-worth and identity were so tied up in that job, I felt lost without it. You are who you are and remind yourself of your value and worth. You still have a lot to offer, even in turbulent times. We are more than a job, we are people with many skills, hobbies, interests and passions. I know it’s hard, but don’t take it personally!<h2>Grieve and Reflect</h2>Probably a week later after getting laid-off, I jumped right away into the job search and didn't allow enough time to check in on myself or process my emotions. That only led to greater anxiety, depression and loneliness.. Give yourself permission, it's OK to take the time to grieve and reflect. An event like this can be painful and traumatic, so take the time to get in tune with your thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs. The more you feel, the more you reflect, the more you allow yourself to grieve. It will make space for the healing process to begin. You can only find clarity after the storm has passed. Be in the storm, let the storm pass, rebuild after the storm!&nbsp;<h2>Don't go through it alone</h2>Because of the shame and guilt, I isolated myself from friends and family. I thought I had to figure it out on my own. This only made my confidence and self-esteem decrease and imposter syndrome made me doubt my every move. Even if you feel alone, you're not! Rely on friends and family, reach out to colleagues and your network. Even complete strangers are willing to provide a helping hand and be a resource, mentor or provide a referral. Reach out! In my case, my close friends and family are not in any way connected to the corporate world. That’s why LinkedIn has become one of my favorite social networks.Throughout the years,&nbsp; I’ve connected and messaged complete strangers - professionals I would never come across because we’re in different industries, different states, at different time zones, at different points of our career - but about 85% of them have accepted my connection, replied to my messages, agreed to meet with me for a virtual chat, some have even become close Linkedin friends. You’re not alone!<h2>Talk about it</h2>I kept my grief, my feelings, and my shame to myself. I didn't share this with anyone. One, because as Latinos "we don't talk about our feelings". Two, because, as I previously mentioned, I was the only one in my family and close group of friends who had experience with Corporate American culture. I thought nobody was going to understand. If you're able to find someone you trust to just listen to you, that will go a long way. Keeping it to yourself does not serve you. You can even find communities to join and begin talking about it. For me, I found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/thelatinista/">The Latinista</a>,&nbsp;a professional development organization for Latinas. I met so many amazing women, and shared my feelings and my experience and they all provided advice, validated my feelings, made me feel like I was not alone. Other communities that I found wereLatinas in Tech<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.soapboxwomen.com/">&nbsp;Latinas in Tech, #WeAllGrow Latina, Techqueria, La Nueva Link, WomenTech Networks, ColorComm, Soapbox Women, Wonder Women Tech</a>and I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting a few. There are so many communities you can become a part of, connect with their members and talk about it. Chances are they are feeling the same way or they once felt like that at one point in their career.&nbsp;<h2>Wrap Up</h2>Everyone will experience a layoff differently depending on life circumstances, professional experience, support system, etc., but these are just a few things I wish I had done differently and hoped that someone had told me to guide myself through it. When you're in the thick of it, it's always hard to see the other side... but it's there. I kept myself in a dark hole for so long that I didn't know how to get out until I got the courage to meet with other women and share my story, became a resource to others, learned from others' experiences, asked for help, and being OK with not knowing what my next move was going to be. There is growth and a path forward through all of this.Not sure if this post will help anyone, but myself and my team at Latinas in Tech are trying to find ways to help those affected by the recent layoffs.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/member/register">Become a member</a> (for FREE) or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/login">login to your account</a> to access our job board and connect with recruiters at our partner companies. Make sure your profile is filled out completely so that recruiters can have full visibility to your profile.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://join.slack.com/t/latinasintech-sf/shared_invite/zt-1isz17jfo-GVh0M~KrX0pl8aI3Ux3L_Q"> Join our slack channel </a>and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinasintech">our Facebook group&nbsp;</a>or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/chapter">one of our local chapters</a> as an additional resource to engage with our community and expand your network.

Dealing with a layoff is not easy, 4 things I wished I knew then.

Alexandra Martinez, a developer advocate who works on the MuleSoft product at Salesforce, shared with us how her career journey and love of tech began in childhood, her experience exploring gender identity as a tech professional, and how she approaches content creation from an educational perspective in her role.&nbsp;&nbsp;From her exposure to computer programs in early education to influences from her favorite movie “Jurassic Park,” Alexandra found her spark for software. But it was at Salesforce where she found her passion for creating content.<h4>Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your family, and where you are from?</h4>I’m from Monterrey, Mexico. I was mostly raised by my grandparents since my mom was a single mother and had to work all the time. I haven’t been able to see my family since 2019 because they’re all in Mexico (I live in Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada now). And between the pandemic and life, I haven’t been able to go back to visit them.&nbsp;I have a teenage brother who has a mustache now, and it feels weird to see him all grown up. I still remember when he was a toddler. He makes me feel so old!<h4>Can you share more about your background, and how you got to where you are today?&nbsp;</h4>I had some key moments in both my personal life and professional career that led me to this point.&nbsp;First, my mom sacrificed a lot to be able to get me into a private school when I was little. Attending private school gave me an advantage because I learned English and how to use a computer. Earning high grades in elementary and middle school was thekey to acquiring a scholarship to attend a private high school, which offered a special program for computer programming classes. As part of the program, students participated in a part-time internship at an IT company before graduating. The internship helped me gain actual work experience before turning 18.By the time I finished high school, I was able to secure a full-time position as a software engineer (still as an intern) in the same IT company, where I worked for the next 2 years. Thanks to this job, I was able to pay for my university education. I also did a 1-year exchange program in Germany. Apart from the U.S., I had never traveled to a different country, let alone on my own! This taught me a lot about other cultures and being independent.&nbsp;I returned to Mexico and immediately found another internship to continue paying for my university studies. I jumped from company to company until I finally managed to get my first full-time job before I graduated from a university in Mexico called Universidad Regiomontana.This prior internship experience was definitely key to finding my current opportunity at Salesforce and working on the MuleSoft product, which allowed me to move and start living in Canada.<h4>What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?</h4>Honestly? Jurassic Park. I watched that movie too many times when I was a kid. But one of my favorite parts was when the girl controlled the phones and the doors through the computer. She said she was a hacker. That’s what I wanted to be.That film, mixed with the fact that I had access to computers from a young age, led to a strong curiosity in software. I continued to nurture this skill after I got my own computer and internet access at home. These were the same interests that led me to enroll in the special high school program to learn how to be a computer programmer. Everything kind of fell into place after that decision.<h4>As a developer advocate at Salesforce, what have been some of the most memorable and impactful projects you’ve worked on so far?</h4>A developer advocate is a hybrid role between software engineer and marketing. I create technical content that helps developers learn how to use MuleSoft. I work with MuleSoft engineers to ensure the content I create is correct and helpful to prospective customers and their engineers. Everything I’ve worked on has been new to me, given this is a marketing position. I still get to develop software, just not on a daily basis.&nbsp;When I think back to my most memorable project, I remember how much anxiety I had when I gave my first in-person talk. It was at a tech conference in Las Vegas for developers.In retrospect, I realized speaking in person is not as scary as I originally thought, and I have more courage than I believed. It was affirming to realize I’m an expert in my field, and it was really easy to talk to an audience of developers.&nbsp;Afterwards, attendees, other developers, approached me to compliment me on the talk, how helpful the demo was, and that I had great product knowledge. I no longer doubt myself after that experience, and it did a lot to boost my confidence.<h4>How has your cultural background and/or upbringing shaped you as a leader?</h4>I know what it feels like to feel small or unimportant. This has helped me advocate for all those people of color or people who feel they are different. I tell people to ignore that professor who told you that you were terrible at math. You’re not. They just didn’t know how to teach it to you.&nbsp;It’s the same for that little voice in your head that tells you “this is not for you.” That’s not necessarily true. It may be that you’re not interested in it and that’s totally fine. But if you’ve wanted to learn something and you don’t do it because of that voice, it’s just holding you down.<blockquote>As a developer advocate, I approach teaching from and believe that you can learn anything. You just need to find the format that works for you. So, I like to create different pieces of content to tackle teaching from different perspectives. Whether it’s a video, an article, a podcast — you name it. No one learns the same way.&nbsp;</blockquote><h4>Whether it’s grappling with cultural expectations or navigating workplace biases, we fight through many challenges as Latinx women. What’s one you’re working through currently?&nbsp;</h4>Lately, I’ve been finding my gender identity. I came to the conclusion that I don’t always feel like a woman, but I don’t always feel non-binary either. I thought I had&nbsp;to choose one or the other. But the gender rainbow is so wide that I discovered I don’t really have to choose. I now identify as genderfluid and my pronouns are she/they.My current challenge is that a lot of times people don’t acknowledge non-binary folks or any of the other genders. It’s hard enough to try to erase the gender bias in technology – like people assuming my manager was a man or hearing “architect” and assuming it’s a man – and it’s even harder to remind people that there aren’t only two genders.&nbsp;At least in English-speaking countries, it’s easier to talk about the “they” pronoun. It at least exists. But there’s no such thing in Spanish. There’s only male and female pronouns. It is so hard to start the conversation, especially because people refuse to add a new pronoun to the language. My pronouns in Spanish are “ella/elle”.&nbsp;I still have hope for the future though. At least I surround myself with people who do respect me and my pronouns. No one should be hanging out with people who refuse to treat you decently.<h4>Looking to the future, what inspires you, and what initiatives are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;</h4>Right now, I’m just really looking forward to the next big Salesforce event where I’ll be able to speak in person. For reasons outside of my control, I haven’t been able to attend one of these yet. It will be a big challenge, but I’m really looking forward to that opportunity when it arises.<h4>What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget?</h4>Oh, so many. But the best thing is to trust your gut and work on yourself. The more you love yourself, the more things you can achieve. You are the best thing in your life.<h4>Any podcasts, quotes, books, or blog recommendations for Latinas?</h4><ul><li>My favorite podcast (in Spanish) is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nomehagasleer.com/">No Me Hagas Leer. </a>My favorite quote is “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.”</li><li>A book that every single woman should read is “Come As You Are” by Emily Nagoski – she’s a genius.</li><li>And from the same authors, some resources that opened my eyes to the beauty of learning are<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn"> Learning How to Learn</a> (free course), the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://barbaraoakley.com/books/">Uncommon Sense Teaching</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://barbaraoakley.com/books/">book,</a> and anything Barbara Oakley has done.</li></ul>You can learn more about Alexandra by tuning in to our collaborative event<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPRJkMCDYWc"> "Engineering, A values Driven Career"</a>. Sponsored post by<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.salesforce.com/mx/?ir=1"> Salesforce</a>. Check out S<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/company/salesforce">alesforce's Company Profile</a> in our website.To learn more about Salesforce, its career opportunities, culture, and benefits,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://careers.mail.salesforce.com/global-careers?cid=7014u000001ZddcAAC&amp;DriverID=LatinasInTech"> join our Talent Community</a>.

How a Developer’s Roots in Mexico Led to a Career in Tech

We had the opportunity to meet with Yesenia Rivera, Employee Experience Program Manager at SoFi, and she shared with us her career journey, what excites her about her role, and how the challenges she faced led her to her TRUE SELF.<h4>Could you tell us about your current role, and what you do at SoFi?</h4>I am an Employee Experience Program Manager here at SoFi. I help champion our diversity, equity, and inclusionary strategic work. This aligns with my passion to ensure that not only does everyone have a seat at the table, but a voice so that all can be able to bring their authentic and whole selves to work.<h4>What inspired you to pursue a career progression and navigate transformational change within tech culture?&nbsp;</h4>Being a part of the tech industry, specifically working within my current remit, was never something that I aspired to - it was an opportunity that came across my path by chance (and I have never looked back since!). My background and formalized education is in instructional design and corporate training, which was a pathway cemented for me due to my innate desire to help others. My passion for working with people, proactively collaborating to seek out solutions, and helping them be able to see real dividends in their own professional growth truly helped me to navigate into the current journey that I am now on. What is so important, from my perspective, is to remember the human element of this industry - that at the core of every product, of every code, of every piece of a process are people. That this industry could not exist without the beautiful complexities of that acknowledgement is a huge driving component behind my own personal inspirations for being in this focus area.&nbsp;<h4>What has been your takeaway as a Latina in technology during your career?</h4>As I continue&nbsp; working within this sphere, the importance of amplifying diverse representation in this industry is a huge north star for me. If we were to take a hard and critical look specifically at Latinx representation, especially female Latinx representation, we still have a ways to go. Taking a step back, we see that female Latinx representation at the senior leadership level is severely lacking across prominent companies-<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/08/02/hispanic-latina-business-demographics-executive/10157271002/?gnt-cfr=1">with Latinas making up about 1.6% of individuals in senior executive roles.</a>&nbsp;It is important to continue moving the needle forward to challenge implicit biases, strengthen inclusive hiring practices, and continue to bring awareness of the importance for inclusion and belonging (and equitable representation) for all.&nbsp;<h4>What would be the biggest challenge in your career?</h4>Coming from the family and background that I do, the biggest paradox of my professional journey has been managing expectations - both the expectations I have for myself and the ones imposed by others. The subtle, yet prevalent, influences that they play in my decision making, my actions, and how I navigate my career can be really debilitating at times. There is this fear of letting down the people and the community that struggled and sacrificed so much for me to get me to this point. Even in my own awareness of the gratitude that I have for every single one of them, I find myself losing elements of what encompasses my true self just for the sake of constantly ensuring that I overachieve at any cost - and usually that cost is my personal time or even health.&nbsp;<blockquote><h2>"It took a long time to realize this, but I am so happy to know now that the little voice in the back of my head telling me that I am “an imposter” or that “I don’t deserve to be here” is A BOLD-FACED LIAR!"</h2></blockquote>That a person with my first and last name, my color skin and crazy, curly hair has every RIGHT in the world to work in this industry and space that I do. I am ultimately human and am allowed to make mistakes - and not persecute myself for making them.&nbsp;<h4>Can you share more about the Support you had from Women in Leadership?</h4>My experience with what true and ample support looks like actually started in my home&nbsp; growing up. I was extremely fortunate to be surrounded by tremendous amounts of love, dedication, and empowerment&nbsp; from the “village of women” that helped nurture and encourage my own identity.&nbsp; I see this foundation as such a powerful example and resource for me in my career because it showcases the pure strength of what different kinds of support can foster - especially by women, for women in any regard. Within my own career journey, the many women in leadership and mentorship roles that I have been blessed to have in my life became a primary extension of that already existing foundation and truly became pillars of strength for me to never give up, to think critically - and very importantly - be BOLD in my ambitions and aspirations.&nbsp;<h4>What excites you about the future of Technology at SoFi?</h4>EVERYTHING! What is so fabulous about being in the fintech industry, specifically at SoFi, is the rapid and fast pace that we continue to find solutions for tomorrow’s problems - and how creative innovation challenges us to propel progression forward. Being at SoFi means that we have a front row seat to what tomorrow can look like for our members to be able to get their money right in order for them to realize their ambitions. We each have a hand in changing lives in a profound way - who would not want to be a part of that?<h4>Looking to the future, what inspires you, and what initiatives are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;</h4>What I am most proud of when it comes to working at SoFi is our continued dedication to advocate and prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusionary strategic work. SoFi is a place that believes in the assurance that not only does everyone have a seat at the table, but a voice and power to bring their authentic and whole selves to work. I joined SoFi because I wanted to be a part of something different - an organization unique in its industry, where an emphasis on people, rather than a bottom line, was a driving force. We are seeing this play out specifically in regards to our company’s priorities around building a durable culture of diversity, providing safe, yet brave spaces for all communities to have a platform to raise awareness, support, and resources on social impact issues (our ERGs), and a highlighted emphasis on continuous bespoke DE&amp;I trainings that are not just a “check of the box”. We are on a mission to foster a true sense of inclusion and belonging for all. I am so very fortunate to be able to work alongside people that believe in this to their core and take action around it.&nbsp;<h4>What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget?</h4>One of my favorite mentors (a Latina herself) and I had a conversation around what being Latina in corporate America truly looks like. I think as Latinas, we face a lot of external and even internal-induced stereotypes that we have to combat everyday. For me, as a dark-skinned Afro Latina, I sometimes feel that perceptions of what that is or what that can look like can be difficult for people to categorize and that is what stereotypes ultimately are - categorizing and putting people into boxes that make sense for us.&nbsp; But people are people. We're complicated - we aren't just one thing and we cannot (and should not) be forced into boxes.<blockquote><h2>And for us to be our authentic selves, we have to first do the work to know WHO WE ARE, but secondly, embrace the fact that as a Latina, we define what that is - not what others tell us what it is.&nbsp;</h2></blockquote>That piece of advice was a defining moment for me in my own personal growth and understanding of who I AM inside and outside of the constructs of the professional work environment.<h4>Any podcasts, books or blog recommendations for Latinas?</h4>I am obsessed with a few podcasts at the moment:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://player.fm/series/series-2383745">Latina to Latina</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://player.fm/series/the-wellness-latina">The Wellness Latina</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://player.fm/series/series-3294399">The Debt-Free Latina</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinxtherapy.com/podcast/">Latinx Therapy</a></li><li>And of course, SoFi’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5hNexDXIq6BwpuyHVMacBV">Embrace Diversity podcast</a>. which I have the honor of hosting.&nbsp;</li></ul><h4>And lastly, do you have advice for women currently in tech or looking to begin a career in tech?</h4>Look in the mirror every morning and remind yourself to ECHALE GANAS! You are deserving of the role you are in - don't allow any kind of imposter syndrome to creep forward. You have the authority over your life and the ability to seek out forms of cultural and intellectual empowerment to define who you are - and not let others do it for you (whether that is formal education, seeking out a mentor or a sponsor, or even doing some personal research into your own familial roots and touching base with who you are at your core from a personal perspective).Never forget you are limitless and blessed to be Latina - which is a very powerful thing to be!&nbsp;You can learn more about Yesenia by tuning in to our collaborative event “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HMgANJSR5o">Being Your Authentic Self: Latinidad in the Workplace</a>" along with other members of SoFi.Sponsored post by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sofi.com/?__cf_chl_tk=grbgE753vj0IrjZAbTnjJGbsxzXx_SLzzTok5WtooFo-1678291479-0-gaNycGzNChA">SoFi</a>. Check out<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://latinasintech.org/company/sofi"> SoFi's Company Profile</a> in our website.

Don’t let expectations, stereotypes and fear get in the way of your TRUE SELF

Latina Equal Pay Day is Latina Equal Pay day of action. It is a moving date. This is not really a day for celebration, it is a day of awareness and a day to take action. The date changes annually because “it is determined by how much money a full-time Latina worker was paid, on average, in the prior calendar year. In other words, the day would be observed on the date a Latina catches up to the wages made by a white, non-Hipic man the year before.” Last year, in 2021, Latina Equal Pay Day was October 21. This year it is December 8th. That is a regression that means it took us, Latinas, longer to catch up to White Males and White Females a lot longer. Latinas were paid 57 cents per dollar made by white non-Hipic males. This year it went down to 47 cents per dollar for full-time workers. It went down 10 cents, which is 20% less. To add injury to insult, the cost of living went up by around 8% at the same time, and that is not Latina Equal Inflation only. So, all in all, Latinas make less money while being a minority within a minority. Very often, they are the sole breadwinners and primary caregivers in their families. This is a discouraging situation that demands action. And TODAY is the day to take action. First and foremost: Employers, please audit your employee female vs. male and minority vs. other segments compensation. Next: Latinas, we can own how we play this game and the outcome of our own Latina Equal Pay. Let me explain what I mean in the way that I would want to have things explained to myself: This is a game. This game has unspoken rules that better-represented groups know how to play well. Men, even Latino men, play this better than we do. Most males will apply for a job and request an increase or a promotion as soon as the “rules of the game” say so, or even sooner. Women, and more so, Latinas, will aim to perform a great job and then wait for recognition to be volunteered. Requesting a raise is feared to be perceived as too forward. And maybe we feel that we should be thankful for what we currently have. When applying to a job, Latinas tend only to apply if they feel that they meet 100% or more of the job requirements listed. Many men, on the other hand, will apply even if they meet 80% or less. We are playing the same game, but Latinas are not playing by the same rules. So let me give you a simple task today: Latinas. If you have been at your job for 12 months or more and are accomplishing your goals, you MUST ask for an increase, even if this is out of your comfort zone. Employers and HR professionals. You probably know all of this already, but as today is an ACTION day, please account for the above and audit and volunteer those adjustments, don’t wait for Latinas to get out of their comfort zone to request the pay of the job they are already doing.<h2>Share it!</h2>

Latina Equal Pay Day

With 22 years of experience, Patricia Cabral-Mercado, Senior Director, Software Engineering, at Northwestern Mutual shared with us cultural perspectives and insights when it comes to leadership. Her passion to build true relationships and serve as a mentor has given her tools to connect, get to know the team and see them thrive. Spotlight Partner: Northwestern Mutual / Hipic heritage Featured Talent: Patricia Cabral-Mercado, Senior Director, Software EngineeringTell us a bit about yourself, where you are from, and tell us about your family.I was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated to Milwaukee when I was almost two years old. I come from a large family, with nine children total (six sisters and three brothers). We came to Milwaukee because it was a blue-collar city, and my father was employed in one of the factories. I knew from an early age that&nbsp; I wanted to be one of the first in my family to go to a university.&nbsp;I attended Marquette University, where I was proud to participate in the education opportunity program. While in school, a friend encouraged me to pursue a degree in technology and I have not looked back since.After graduation, I joined Northwestern Mutual and have been in the organization ever since. A few years after joining Northwestern Mutual, I got married and had children.&nbsp;I currently live in the greater Milwaukee area with my husband, our two boys and our dog.Now that we are celebrating Hipic Heritage Month, what is something that you admire about our culture? And what would be one activity that keeps you connected to your Hipic roots?The biggest thing that I admire is the focus on family, from immediate to extended, your family is always there for you.&nbsp;There is a sense of community and knowing that you’re never alone through good times and hard times. I embrace that within our culture, whether we are in Mexico or in the U.S., we continue to hold those strong family values and the sense of community that we've built throughout the years.I absolutely love Hipic music.&nbsp; I constantly have my phone playing Hipic music. I am a fan of music in general, but Hipic music just makes me want to sing and get up and dance.&nbsp;It triggers happiness, and a sense of connection to my roots.Can you share more with us about your background, how did you get to where you are today?&nbsp;My first job in technology was as a tech support intern for a manufacturing company. While I was hired to do tech support, they instead had me cleaning computers. I decided after that experience to do an internship that would be meaningful and allow me to develop my skills. I found an internship at Northwestern Mutual, and the experience was completely different.&nbsp; I was part of a team that allowed me to code, problem solve, and learn more about the intersection of technology and business.&nbsp;From there, I took a full-time job with the company. I spent time as a developer, an analyst, a project manager, and eventually moved into leadership roles. Currently I am a Senior Director overseeing a team of software engineers who help accelerate&nbsp;the organization past technology barriers..What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?I was very competitive so I think that helped fuel my desire to learn and always get better. Once I tried programming, I was hooked. I had a passion for data, and that area of technology fueled my energy. It is a field where I can continue to&nbsp;be a lifelong learner&nbsp;and to evolve my career. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to learn one area of technology, get comfortable, and then change my direction to learn a completely new area of technology.As a Senior Director at Northwestern Mutual, what have been some of the most memorable and impactful projects you’ve worked on so far?I can easily name successful projects and outcomes achieved; however, if we are focusing on impact&nbsp;my most memorable moments are seeing individuals I have mentored thrive.&nbsp;&nbsp;All my memorable and impactful moments revolve around&nbsp;building diverse teams of individuals that excel at delivering outcomes as a team.How has your culture (and/or other identity marker) shaped you as a leader? As a manager?With my culture being so centered on people and community, and&nbsp;truly building relationships, it has given me the tools to connect and get to know my teamI have been able to build solid relationships with my peers. It is important for me to understand where my team members want to go so that I can guide them in their own career development. It has also allowed me to ask key questions, get to know them, and it has made me a better leaderWhether it’s grappling with cultural expectations or navigating workplace biases, we fight through many challenges as Latinx women. What’s one you’re working through currently?&nbsp;There are a lot of biases that are associated with Latinx women, but one that I have constantly battled is that&nbsp;we’re very “emotional”.I’m highly aware of this bias and I've combatted it by being calm, using data and asking questions. I tend to step away from the “I feel” statements and use data, facts, and reasoning to combat the bias of being overly emotional.&nbsp; Throughout my career, I have also used this as an opportunity to adapt while challenging those biases in a way that will allow others not to judge you based on a past bias.Looking to the future, what inspires you, and what initiatives are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;What excites me most is my current role and my team. I think&nbsp;I have the best team I've worked with in my 22-year career. They challenge each other in respectful ways to get the best results. I have a team that will give me open feedback, ask smart questions, and deliver results.What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget?I’ve had some fantastic mentors that provided solid career advice. When I look back, there’s one thing that echoes most: to&nbsp;focus on your team first. It’s the leaders who get to know their people that can find the most success. Even as I’ve stepped into new roles, I've been able to build solid teams and relationships to make the most impact.Any podcasts, book or blog recommendations for Latinas?I’m an avid reader, and two books come to mind – “Start with Why”, by Simon Sinek, is one of my all-time favorites. And another book I recently read is&nbsp;“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke. Annie is a female poker player that shares decision-making strategies based on the idea that all decisions are bets.<h2>Share it!</h2>

Hispanic heritage values propelled Patricia as a leader at Northwestern Mutual

For Hipic Heritage Month, we've partnered with Korbel® to present 🔆 Luminarias, a virtual art exhibition in the Metaverse and NFT auction spotlighting 30 Latina change-makers in the STEM industries.Individual NFT portraits of the luminarias, created by Award-winning illustrator and digital artist <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/holaluciadiaz/">Lucia Diaz </a>🧑🏽‍🎨, will be featured in a fully-immersive VR gallery, launched on September 15.The proceeds from the NFT auction will be donated to Latinas in Tech! 🥂<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weareluminarias.com/">Visit www.WeAreLuminarias.com </a>for more information and join us in the Metaverse throughout Hipic Heritage Month.&nbsp;The campaign embodies everything LiT fights for every day, amplifying the diverse voices of Latinas in the tech industry and highlighting the barriers to entry they encounter as they advance their careers. We greatly appreciate your support and contributions through our NFT campaign.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" cclanguage="en" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" interfacelanguage="en" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0f--4ZZ83Vk" start="0"></iframe></div>Read Press Release: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latinas-in-tech-partners-with-korbel-california-champagne-to-celebrate-influential-hispanic-women-in-stem-with-luminarias-nft-collection-and-metaverse-art-exhibition-301621679.html">https://lnkd.in/gPk5SBp8</a><h2>Share it!</h2>

Latinas In Tech x Korbel® present LUMINARIAS

Andrea Rodriguez Miller, Customer Success Leader at Intuit talked with us about her 22 years at Intuit, the advantages of being a multiethnic woman and how she connects some hipic values with the Intuit culture. Those values have helped her understand the unique needs of their self-employed and Latino customers and drive improvements in the end-to-end strategy that reflects in Intuit products and services. Spotlight Partner: Intuit / Hipic Heritage Month Featured Talent: Drea Rodriguez Miller.Tell us a bit about yourself, where you are from, and tell us about your family.My name is Andrea Rodriguez Miller and I go by Drea. I am a proud Tucson native. I grew up not too far from the Intuit office in Tucson with my parents and my younger brother and sister. I was very lucky to have many of my extended family in my life throughout my childhood. My Abuela and Nana were actually my caretakers when we were young. I am multi-ethnic, my father is of German descent coming from Wyoming and my mother is of Mexican descent. My dad was actually the first anglo person to marry into our family. I was very lucky to have a very inspirational family who stressed the importance of education. My Nana, Maria de Los Angeles Rodrigues (or Nana Geli as she was known) did not have the opportunity to complete her education when she was younger, but she took night classes in her late 30s to get her GED because she wanted her grandchildren to know how important it was to have an education. My mother was the first person in her family to attend college and obtained both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arizona. My mother worked in the Public Library system in Tucson for over 20 years and continued her career in public service when she transitioned to the City Manager's office, retiring as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Tucson. My father was a firefighter and paramedic when I was young, and returned to college when I was in high school to obtain his bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems before returning to the fire department and eventually retiring as a battalion chief. I am married and have a five-year-old son starting kindergarten this year.Now that we are celebrating Hipic heritage month, what is something you admire about our culture? The thing I most admire about our Latino culture is the deep-rooted connection to family and community. As I mentioned before, “I was very blessed to have a large extended family here in Tucson”. We would regularly have twenty to thirty people at my Abuela’s home on holidays sharing food and watching football with cousins of all ages running around the yard. There were never strangers in our homes, people were welcomed into the family immediately. The same went for our neighbors, the people we attended school and church with,there was always someone willing to help or to answer questions.&nbsp; The sense of being connected through a shared language and heritage is something that I’ve experienced throughout my life and is such an integral part of our Hipic culture.Can you share more with us about your background, and how did you get to where you are today? And how do you feel having worked 22 years at Intuit? What inspired you to continue a career in the tech industry?I started in the contact center industry in the mid-90s while I was in college and had the opportunity to join Intuit in 1999 as a frontline supervisor supporting the TurboTax product. Prior to Intuit, I hadn’t had a great deal of exposure to the tech industry, and to be honest, it was a little intimidating. The best part of being at Intuit was the opportunities it allowed me to learn about the tech industry. I’ve had opportunities to attend customer focus groups and learn how to translate needs into business requirements. I’ve worked alongside developers and engineers testing products and features to bring a customer viewpoint into design functionality. I’ve had the chance to partner with marketing teams on crafting messages to connect with customer needs and to communicate the values of our products and services. Above all, through my work in Customer Success supporting both our TurboTax and Quickbooks customers, I’ve been able to be a part of Intuit’s mission to power prosperity around the world by assisting customers to unlock the power of our products to solve significant problems in their lives. It’s been an incredible journey over the last 22 years and I continue to learn every day.How do you think these values reflect on your personal and/or professional life? Could you share with us your own description of each one?<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678138601/gallery/64065ce9c5d0c/yfhsodixynubky9lbjpg.jpg">The family is at the center of our Hipic culture and our lives. When good things happen, they are the first people you want to tell, When things are difficult, they are the first people you go to for advice and empathy. The connection to family extends beyond blood relations. It extends to the people who are closest to us in our lives, our trusted circles, and our chosen family. I’ve been very fortunate to find those deep connections in my time at Intuit, whether it be in the teams I’m part of or in the Employee Resource Group (ERG) community of the Intuit Latinos Network. That ability to make deep, meaningful connections where each person can truly be themselves and value each person for who they are and what they bring to the table has been a key part of why I’ve stayed with Intuit for so long.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678138715/gallery/64065d5bb518b/j6p4hbgr7sg3m0chny6w.png"><img src="https://latinasintech.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Community_Sense-blog-1024x521.png" alt="">Hipic culture is deeply rooted in our communities. We care about our neighborhoods, our cities; the people we see every day. We take great pride in our connection to other Latinos and in our shared language and heritage. We actively seek out ways to improve the well-being of our local communities. I see this manifest in my work with the Intuit Latinos Network. Even though we’ve been primarily virtual throughout the past few years, each of our local chapters around the world has continued to support their own communities while also finding ways to create that sense of community virtually. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see our network expand internationally even during a pandemic (adding chapters in London and Mexico) and connect our employees from around the world in a celebration of our shared heritage.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678138781/gallery/64065d9d6cae1/gnx0vn2qyocertscvugb.jpg"> <img src="https://latinasintech.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Adaptability-blog-1024x521.jpg" alt="">“There’s always a way” is something that my Nana would tell me when I was growing up. Things don’t always come easily or go according to plan. When faced with a challenge, it's an opportunity to step back and reassess. My mother gave me some great advice as I was progressing in my career, she calls it “my best thinking”. It's when you know you don’t have all the answers, but you unpack your thinking and invite others to help you find the best course of action. This is something that has served me well in both my personal and professional life.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678138836/gallery/64065dd4c3571/qn9yy8kkx5tllshz0vfo.jpg">One of the traits I’ve learned from my family is the value of hard work. My great-grandmother came to this country from Mexico and had to support her six children alone when she lost my grandfather at an early age. Each of her children entered the workforce early to help care for the family. My own parents worked incredibly hard to provide for our family and to make our community stronger through their work in public service. Now it’s our generation’s turn to build upon those foundations and work hard to provide for our families and our communities. I personally am never one to shy away from a challenge and I give credit for my strength and fortitude to the example that my family laid for me.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/latinas-in-tech/image/upload/v1678138907/gallery/64065e1ba6837/oiboeupcnbmzjvge6rea.jpg"><img src="https://latinasintech.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Sympathy_And_Kindness-blog-1024x521.jpg" alt="">Latinos have such a strong sense of family and community and, at the heart of that connection is the deep empathy for our fellow people. I grew up with such strong role models who, despite not always having the easiest paths in life, always made it a point to be there for others. The opportunity to connect with others, find ways to understand their situation, and identify opportunities to help is central to who we are as Latinos. I do my best every day to not only understand the challenge before me, but to also connect with the people I’m working with to address those challenges because I find that you can go further, and faster when you are truly connected with those along the journey with you.In your day-to-day life, what keeps you connected to your Hipic roots?&nbsp;As I mentioned before, I am very blessed to be surrounded by my family here in Tucson and speak with them several times a week. In addition, my son is five and my husband and I are working with him to teach him Spanish as he enters school. My husband was born in Mexico and is much more fluent than I am, so it’s a great opportunity for me to brush up on my skills as we pass our language to our son. In our home, we work to keep our family traditions alive which includes, in a large part, traditions of faith. We keep a candle lit in our home at all times to symbolize those we keep in our prayers and special intentions. And during Dia De Los Muertos, as a family, we build a large ofrenda to remember our loved ones who have come before us and helped us become who we are today.As the Customer Success Leader at Intuit, what have been some of the most memorable and impactful projects you’ve worked on so far?One of the best experiences I’ve had so far in my career was when I had the opportunity to join a cross-functional team focusing on underserved markets within our TurboTax ecosystem. This was my first chance to work on an end-to-end strategy to understand the unique needs of our self-employed and Latino customers and find the best ways that our consumer products and services could work for this customer base. It was incredibly exciting to immerse myself in this customer base and understand the unmet needs of each. I had the opportunity to drive improvements in the way that we supported our bi-lingual TurboTax customers both in the product and in our support channels. That first year, we offered the ability to toggle our mobile product between Spanish and English language and we increased our bi-lingual phone support to include Tax Advice as well as product support. We also trained our AI models to understand Spanish, allowing us to synthesize customer feedback which we used to improve our offerings. It was amazing to work alongside a team with such a laser focus on improving the way we served our Latino community.What's one piece of career advice you'll give to another Latina to grow in the tech industry? My best advice to Latinas in the tech industry is to show no fear. Nothing is outside of your reach. If you’re interested in a project or a new initiative, it never hurts to ask to learn more. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know something, ask! People are passionate about their work and recognize and appreciate that passion in others. ¡Echale con ganas! (Give it your all!)One other thing I would share is to always recognize the ways others have helped you in your career and to pay it forward. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and we have an opportunity and an obligation to lend a hand to others along the way. There is a powerful quote from humanitarian and journalist, Edith Auslander which always brings tears to my eyes, “Our grandparents carried green cards so we can carry business cards.” It’s up to all of us to do more and make meaningful progress for a more equal world for not only our generation but for generations to come.<h2>Share it!</h2>

Hispanic Values that Intuit and Drea Rodriguez Miller have in common

<h3>We talked with Rebeca Soto, Director of Product Operations at Motive. She talked about her role, her career and the challenge of being a Latina in tech.&nbsp;</h3>For her, in latin culture, raising questions or asking for help can be seen as a sign of weakness. She invites us to break the latinas status quo and be comfortable speaking up, because we all have different backgrounds and can add value to our career and the companies we work in.Spotlight Partner: Motive Featured Talent: Rebeca Soto, Director of Product Operations<h3>Tell us about yourself, Rebeca. How did you get to where you are today?</h3>I am the middle child of SEVEN, and on top of that, the first woman, which means I grew up competing with three older brothers. Although I can’t say I loved it&nbsp;growing up, my parents made sure I had the same responsibilities as my brothers and always encouraged us to learn new things.&nbsp;Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for how my parents raised us. It gave me the confidence to walk into a meeting full of men and know that I deserve to be there and to apply for jobs even if I didn’t meet 100% of the qualifications (which is how I got into tech).&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?</h3>After a few years as a Business Analyst at a global financial institution, I joined the Operations team at a small tech startup, in Mexico City.I immediately became fascinated by the fast pace and the impact my job had on actual human beings. I could see the effect my work had on users' lives and how it helped us reach our goals. I realized I could have a greater impact working closer to our tech organization, so I moved to San Francisco and transferred to the Product Operations team.I never really knew what working in the tech industry would be like, I imagined it was solely for engineers that would be coding all day and assumed the culture would probably not be a good fit for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong! One of my favorite things about my current job in Motive is the company culture.What I like most about working at Motive, and I know it’s going to sound super cheesy and cliche, is the people. Before I started at Motive I briefly joined a different startup thinking it would be like the Silicon Valley tech company culture I was used to. I couldn’t have been more wrong- I was miserable, and upset every Sunday before going to work. When I started to look for a new company I began to research “company culture”, and that's how I ended up here at Motive. I reached out to a few people from my first tech job that were working here, and asked about the people they work with and the company values to help validate my decision and career move.&nbsp;<h3>How do you deal with impostor syndrome?</h3>I try to think about people's different experiences. For example, the time we work in a company doesn't define our level of experience because it depends on the role, the leaders, the challenges, and the industry we work with.&nbsp;I try to think about people's different experiences. For example, just because someone has more years of experience than I do, it doesn't mean they are more qualified –the roles we've had, leaders we've interacted with, challenges we've faced, and industries we've worked in will give us different perspectives.I have a great relationship with my manager who is the Chief Product Officer at Motive.&nbsp; We talk regularly about what my biggest challenges are this year and how to cope with them. Impostor syndrome being one of them, and he justified that everyone has it. So just thinking of how everyone struggles with it, that everyone is thinking the same thing about what to say and what not to, and if they did the right thing or not helps me to deal with it.<h3>As the Director of Product Operations at Motive, what have been some of the most memorable and impactful projects you’ve worked on so far?</h3>The work the Product Operations team does often varies, so it’s hard to choose just one project. I love working on projects where we have to come up with creative solutions and find different ways to test them quickly.One of the most memorable projects was organizing a “Driver Appreciation Day”. We had truck drivers join us at our Nashville office to give feedback on upcoming features and help us get to know our users better. I got to meet three Mexican drivers (one of them a woman) and spent the day talking about our jobs and our experiences working as immigrants –they were so happy to learn that there was a fellow Mexican working on the app they use every day at work, and even more thrilled when I told them I was working on launching the Spanish version of our app.<h3>How has your culture (and/or other identity marker) shaped you as a leader? As a manager?</h3>Something I heard a lot growing up was “calladita te ves más bonita” or “you’re prettier when you keep your mouth shut” –this usually means you should follow the rules, don’t challenge the status quo, and don’t ask too many questions. I also think that in our culture asking questions or asking for help can be seen as a sign of weakness, or maybe you don’t want to draw more attention to yourself when you already feel like the “different one” in the room.It took me some time to feel comfortable speaking up, knowing that my questions are valid, and being confident to challenge coworkers who may be more experienced than me. I encourage my team to ask questions, reach out for help, and speak up when something doesn’t make sense. I remind them that we all have different backgrounds and bring different perspectives to the table. One of the reasons they were hired was because they add a different point of view.<h3>Whether it’s grappling with cultural expectations or navigating workplace biases, we fight through many challenges as Latinx women. What’s one you’re working through currently?&nbsp;</h3>Personally, I struggle a lot with cultural expectations. I grew up in a community where most women only pursued a career until they got married, where women’s success is determined by their husbands and the families that they build.I can easily get triggered when I talk to a friend I haven’t seen in a long time and they ask about my relationship status before anything else. I’ve been working on using this as an opportunity to share more about my career and opportunities in the tech industry that they (or their daughters) could be interested in.<h3>Looking to the future, what inspires you and what initiatives are you most excited about right now?&nbsp;</h3>I am really excited to help everyone on my team advance in their careers, give them the opportunity to shine, and take on new challenges.As someone that has been the only woman and Latin person in the room, I am excited to help change the status quo. This past year, the Product Ops team went from 4 to 7 people (and 85% of the people on the team are women) –this means that our scope has significantly increased, and now my role is more managing and less individual contributor.<h3>Which is your best characteristic as a Latina and which one would you like to improve on?</h3>I believe one of my best characteristics is also the same one I need to improve on. People in the US like to go around the bush a little bit and in my culture we are very direct people. Now that I manage people I’ve realized that not everyone likes that approach. Managing up has helped me say what I think, this is how it is and just put it out there. My manager appreciates that, but on the other hand, when working with my direct reports to help them grow and/or point out areas of improvement, being too direct can come off as rude and counterproductive –and I've received this feedback before. As a manager, I've learned to adjust my managing style accordingly for different people and personalities.<h3>What's one piece of career advice you'll NEVER EVER forget?</h3>More than advice, it was a piece of feedback I received from one of my direct reports when I first started managing a team. She said she wanted to reach out to me for guidance, not solutions. Instead of directly telling her why her proposed action plan wasn’t the best path forward, it would be better if I asked the right questions for her to see the holes in her plan and help her arrive at a better solution herself.Acting more like a moderator helps both my teammates and me grow.&nbsp; Sometimes asking those questions can make me realize that what I thought was the best path forward actually isn’t. This really stuck with me and I think about it often, now that I manage a team.<h3>Is there anyone you’d like to shout out for their support along your career journey?&nbsp;</h3>I’ve been very lucky to have had people throughout my career who always had my back and pushed me to take on new challenges even when I thought I wasn’t ready.&nbsp;I want to recognize my manager at my first job right out of college, Giovanna Antonelli. I am forever thankful for everything I learned from her; writing emails to leadership, standing up for what is right, and passing the credit to her team while taking responsibility for their mistakes.Jai, Motive’s Chief Product Officer and one of the main reasons I joined Motive. Since my first day on the job, he’s always trusted me with big challenges and high-priority projects, and consistently pushed me beyond artificial boundaries I thought existed. &nbsp; &nbsp;