Happy Hispanic Heritage month! Seems different to be kicking off a month-long celebration on the 15th day, right? But for the Hispanic and Latinx communities, there is great significance to honoring these cultures starting on September 15th.

For a more in-depth history on Hispanic Heritage Month, check out http://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov.

For many, being connected to our culture means honoring family, and traditions, but also owning pieces that bring us joy. 

We love that there is a time to honor the contributions made by our Latinx team members. We asked each of them to share what about their culture and heritage they love the most and are the most proud of. Here’s what they said:

Alex
Role: Advocacy Partnerships Marketing Specialist

“Mexico is not only a country, Mexico is full of music, art, honor, tradition, food, and spirituality.

I love that we emphasize how important family is. We even have a date to celebrate and remember the ones who passed away (Día de Los Muertos). It’s a time where we honor their legacy with their picture and the food they loved to always keep them in our hearts and minds.”

Besides Mexican food, which is my number one, what I love the most is SPONTANEITY! We are quick to roll with good surprises and always come up with solutions to bad ones. So if you ever get an invitation 10 minutes before the scheduled/planned hour don’t be surprised, that is the way we live life.”


Charles
Role: Engineering Manager

“I am so proud of being Colombian. I love a very local music genre called ‘vallenato’. So one way of celebrating my culture is actually one of my hobbies, which is playing the ‘caja vallenata’, a drum instrument that you play barehanded.

I love that it is so easy to make human connections in Colombia, people are so welcoming and uncomplicated. Our culture is surrounded by a lot of local music, which is quite lively and too much fun, so, yes! We can dance!”


Fernando
Role: IT Consultant

“I love how empathic, charismatic, and easygoing we are. We have no issue in establishing a conversation with an unknown person. The heat and passion that we put into everything we do. The diversity of the local food is huge, from region to region, as also the music variety. How we enjoy together with our relatives and friends. The pride and passion of being a Colombian is something indescribable.

I like to participate in or attend Barranquilla’s Carnival. This is something that represents and exposes Colombian Culture and Barranquilla’s culture in particular. Actively participating in “comparsas”, dancing native dances like Cumbia, Son de Negro, and Mapalé.”


Ilse
Role: Patient Success Coordinator

“What I love about Mexico is the way each citizen honors and celebrates their cultures, even if I am speaking to a Mexican from “Monterrey” or a Mexican from “Sinaloa”, each one of them will advocate the inside culture, typical foods, and traditions of their state. However, you can feel that people are so welcoming all around our country.

I celebrate my culture mostly with food. I love real Mexican food! We also celebrate with all of our traditions and regional music. I love the fact that we can share our celebrations with family and friends, and that even if you are in a place where no one knows you but still you are celebrating Mexico, you feel like you are at home.”


Lorena
Role: Patient Success Coordinator

“My culture is full of hard-working people who support each other to get ahead and give the best of themselves. I also love typical Mexican food, it brings people together.

I honor my culture by giving the best of myself to others. I am also very attached to celebrating our traditional festivals with family and friends such as the Dia de los Muertos and Dia de la Independencia, I am always the one who cooks something typical for that day like chiles rellenos or pan de muerto.”

Lucia
Role: Operations Specialist

“I love our resilience and positivity! As a country I think this has made difficult times easier. People from Venezuela are always willing to help, finding creative ways to figure things out. I also grew up listening to local music so it is still a big part of my life, it’s my way to remember times when I danced with my grandma. Venezuelan culture is a lot about food. We have so many different options of corn dishes, amazing fresh cheeses as well and of course who you are sharing what you are eating is the most important thing!

I always share the regional music with my kids, we eat traditional dishes on a weekly basis, and one of my favorites is going through pictures of my hometown! Being a venezuelan abroad (like so many) is also about doing my best to show the best from my country so living through my family values of honesty, joy and work it’s my way to honor my origins.”

Paula
Role: Patient Success Coordinator

“I love the passion Argentinians put for every single thing and how we always find a good excuse to get together with friends and/or family.

I share my experience growing up in Argentina to my kids, including the language, foods, music, ‘asados’ on Sundays and taking them to my country as often as I can.”

Rebekah
Role: Advocacy Partnerships and Marketing Manager
“I love the resiliency and the pride that Puerto Ricans have. I love how expressive, loyal, and hospitable we are. You will never leave a Puerto Rican person’s home hungry and without a tupperware full of something yummy to enjoy later.

Puerto Rico is so beautiful and magical. At night, you hear the coquis ‘sing’ and it really is the soundtrack to the island. At home though, we have our everyday reminders of where we came from – the arroz con gandules on the stove, us mixing Spanglish into our daily vocabulary, listening to salsa and reggaeton, and of course enjoying our pasteles on Christmas Eve.”