“You already have a ‘no’ in your pocket, go for the ‘yes’ in the other.”

September 15th through October 15th is the national celebration of Latnix Heritage — here’s how we celebrated at Qualtrics. 

Our theme for this year’s Latinx Heritage Month was “Triunfando Juntos”, which translates to “succeeding together” — a reminder that we have an obligation to lift each other up so we can all succeed. 

“Our theme was created to help our community and allies understand how Latinx members can succeed in an industry that was not created for us. With our theme, we cover topics such as mental health and learning how to advocate for ourselves when it comes to career development.” - Vanessa Lopez 

Qualtrics recognizes that the Latinx community is underrepresented in the tech world and we are taking steps to ensure Latnix team members and future members are supported. Qualtrics has increased partnerships with professional Latnix organizations like Techqueria and Latinas in Tech; we are working with Latinx serving institutions to ensure hiring from the Latinx community; and we are increasing our mentorship opportunities by helping Latinx Qualtricians become mentors for Latninx university students.

During Latinx Heritage Month we elevated Latinx voices at Qualtrics by sharing their stories and hosting panel discussions. We featured stories from some of our Latinx team members on the Qualtrics Life blog — Carlos, Carolina, Jackie, and Luis shared stories about their upbringing and their experiences in the workforce. 

On September 23rd, Qualtrics hosted a panel discussion on Advocating for Mental Wellness, specifically in the Latinx community. Panelists included Patricia Pena, marriage and family therapist;  Angel Quintanilla, clinical social worker; Yesenia Cancel, a Qualtrics Senior XM Consultant; and Christopher Flores, a Qualtrics DEI coordinator.

Panelists shared their origin stories and how mental health has been part of their journey. They discussed the difficulties of navigating personal mental wellness while dealing with the stigmas surrounding mental health in the Latnix community, and ways to reshape those stigmas in families and communities. Panelists shared personal experiences about their mental health journeys, receiving push back from family members, and learning to set boundaries, all while celebrating their cultures. 

Our Keynote speaker for Latinx Heritage Month was Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez —TED Speaker, writer, and entrepreneur. Elizabeth grew up in Tucson near the Mexico border. Her parents' visa renewals were denied, leaving her alone in the United States when she was 15. Elizabeth was able to graduate high school, attend an Ivy League university, and begin her career in banking. 

In her keynote speech she recounts her upbringing, finding stability and opportunities in the US, and how she navigates her mental health issues. She admits that she still deals with feelings of inadequacy and she attributes a lot of her success to the family and community support she has. Her advice for the Latinx community in school and the workforce is to set boundaries, know when to be selfish, and be resilient. 

“I mentioned this in my TED talk, I think a lot of it is really figuring out when to be selfish and when not to be. That continues to be key in my life and I know that’s something that a lot of us need to learn, especially as first-generation immigrants because we don’t know when to focus on ourselves and when to focus on our community or others.”

During the Q&A, Elizabeth gave great advice about staying connected to your roots and culture, how to get over imposter syndrome in the workforce, and how to find and get more opportunities for career growth. She mentioned advice that her mother gave her, “You already have a ‘no’ in your pocket, go for the ‘yes’ in the other.”

“I just want to remind you all that our resilience comes from our family and our family is our community. I think that our collective strength is one of the most beautiful things we have to hold on to.”

Thank you to Elizabeth and to our Latinx Heritage Month Committee at Qualtrics for organizing the incredible events this month. Be sure to catch our last Latinx event: Elevating the Employee Experience for Women in Tech on October 20th.

Triunfando Juntos!