What do I love about being Latinx? We bring passion to everything we do!
Since I was born and raised in Venezuela and then immigrated to the United States where I lived in Miami, Florida, I have always been surrounded by my heritage. Growing up, I enjoyed traveling, experiencing new cultures and savoring delicious cuisines from around the globe. Grateful for my journey and all those who helped me along the way, I make it a priority to pay it forward to my Latinx community.
Five years ago, I was introduced to United Way of King County through a tax program where I volunteered my time to assist Spanish-speaking, low-income individuals and families file their tax returns. Since then, I have continued to be increasingly involved in United Way because their mission is so well-aligned with my values and what I hope to help others achieve.
United Way envisions a community where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives. To further my involvement in the organization, I joined the Board of Directors and Emerging Leaders Committee where we encourage others in their 20s and 30s to get involved and help make a difference in the community.
I have always had an affinity to make people feel included. This led me to create an affinity group through my previous organization which focused on making employees who join Microsoft after graduating from undergraduate school and MBA program feel welcomed, guided through their career and encouraged to meet other early in career employees. This program eventually expanded to other teams and has since transitioned to a company wide program called Microsoft Aspire Experience.
Through my work at Microsoft and my involvement in United Way, both the company and my colleagues have been a key source of inspiration and empowerment. I have always felt supported by my managers in giving back to the community outside of work. In the process of creating the first affinity group, I saw how supportive my management chain and HR team were, which empowered me to continue working to make our company and the community a better place.
As an immigrant to the United States, I am very grateful for those who have helped me along my journey – including my family, the philanthropists who funded various scholarships I received, and my colleagues at Microsoft. Because of this, I am passionate about making sure my fellow “Latinxers” feel included and guided to have equal opportunity both inside and outside of the workplace.