September happens to be a unique month for Latinos. The 15th marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence in September, the 16th and the 18th respectively. It’s of no surprise why September 15th kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Here at Symantec, where diversity is embraced and networks encouraged, the Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Affinity group (HOLA) represents our Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Latinos.
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| HOLA ERG group Heathrow Champion Katherine Sabatino (right) & Co-Champions: Marisol Starr (left) Rodrigo Nunez (center). |
In 2009, a few of us noticed that there were a diversity of ERG groups within Symantec, but we were missing a network dedicated to Latinos. HOLA grew out of this seeking to cultivate a community that supports Hispanic employees in professional development as well as expose other employees to the diverse Hispanic culture. Our goal is to reach out to our community – both within the company and the community at large – with a cultural aspect. We started to spread our mission by hosting annual events around Hispanic Heritage Month, which have since become a central component to HOLA. The event historically includes speakers and dancers to educate others on Hispanic culture, bringing in students from the local area to tour the Symantec campus, and setting up mentor lunches between students and employees.
What started with events around Hispanic Heritage Month has expanded to much more. Past events include a Professional Networking event, internet safety program at local schools, and a holiday fiesta – to name a few. Some chapters arrange a company-wide food truck event about once a quarter and tie it to a charity, where 10% of sales get donated to that charity. At the Heathrow campus, their signature event is the soccer tournament, a big event with organized teams and brackets.
We also interact with schools and universities to show students the value of science and math and the opportunities before them. Students from underserved areas come to Symantec to get a glimpse of what it's like to work in a tech or computer science career. For many of them, this exposure is the first of its kind. We want to show our coworkers and the outside world what a great place Symantec is to work for Hispanic employees!
The ultimate goal for all ERGs is that they are an asset to our employees and the company. For example, we aim for HOLA to serve as a place for the company to locate a pool of talented candidates to improve diversity at Symantec. Additionally, our goal is to make sure that HOLA’s goals are aligned with the company’s business goals, for example around diversity. There is a real purpose both for the reasons noted above (culture, education, networking, etc.) as well as to support Symantec’s corporate responsibility and business goals.
We are very happy to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with all of our colleagues at Symantec and look forward to expanding HOLA’s activities and reach in the years to come.
For questions regarding HOLA please HOLA-MVT@symantec.com or Katherine_Sabatino@symantec.com.
And for a bit of fun in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, take a stab at our fun quiz below to test your Hispanic Heritage IQ!
Test your Hispanic Heritage Knowledge:
When did the observance of Hispanic Heritage in the U.S. begin?
It began in 1968, when Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim the week that included September 15 and 16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week.
How many Latinos live in the U.S.?
There are 53 million Latinos living in the United States, as of July 1, 2012, the date of the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau. Latinos constitute 17 percent of the country's population and are the country's largest ethnic or racial minority.
When did the observance of Hispanic Heritage expand to a month?
The observance was expanded to a month in 1989 and celebrates the culture and traditions of those with roots in Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
By Michelle Losenicky; Eric Domagalski; Katherine Sabatino