Say hello to our Hispanic/Latinx Adobe employee network

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and as part of our ongoing series featuring employee network groups, today we’re highlighting Hispanic/Latinx at Adobe — or HOLA for short! Adobe’s HOLA employee network is all about recruiting, developing and retaining Hispanic and Latinx employees, while increasing social awareness and supporting outreach efforts in our local communities.

And their involvement at Adobe has only increased in the last month with the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, Adobe celebrated by hosting several events throughout our offices, including a powerful poetry slam, traditional dishes in our cafes, a festive gathering with local Hispanic musicians and flamenco dancers, and an intimate fireside chat between Katie Juran, Sr. Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Diane Hendricks, Director of Operations and HOLA’s executive sponsor.

When we connected with Diane to speak more about her goals as HOLA’s newest executive sponsor, she was clear in her response. “I have three main goals. The first is to partner with our Diversity & Inclusion team to identify additional recruitment vehicles for Hispanic and Latinx employees. I want to reexamine how we target specific campuses and conferences. Second is to partner with our Talent team to create additional venues to support professional development for the immensely talented people we already have here in our HOLA community. And lastly, I really want to listen and learn from the community… what do they want more of as it relates to development and networking, and what causes do they want to get involved in to fulfill our overall HOLA charter.”

Voicing the Adobe For All Story

With Hispanic Heritage Month following our Adobe For All Summit, it was a perfect moment for us to continue sharing how all our differences make us stronger. “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the office is important because it allows us to share our deeper roots, traditions and cultures with the rest of Adobe. Adobe For All to me—it’s sharing and respecting all backgrounds because these differences makes us stronger as a company. Everybody has a voice of influence at Adobe” said Diane.

Here’s what other HOLA site leads had to say about their experience with the employee network:

Once I had a chance to attend my first meeting, I realized that I was with friends and family who are passionate about making Adobe a great place for all. HOLA has been a great enabler for me to bring my ideas on how to make Adobe an inclusive place. This has included opportunities to speak with youth in the community who love Adobe and want a career in engineering. As well many fun events that celebrate the breadth of Latin culture.

– Joseph Sandoval, Cloud Platform Manager, Emeryville

HOLA gives me a sense of belonging. Not completely fitting into either of the two worlds I inhabit, it allows me the opportunity to relate to others who experience the same feeling. Being part of HOLA allows me the opportunity to merge these two worlds.

– Meylin Mota, Manager, Client Services, New York

I grew up in a rough neighborhood in Compton where my only role models were drug dealers and criminals. I thought that’s what I was supposed to be. I never knew it was possible to have a life other than that. HOLA gives me a platform that allows me to make an impact on youth that feel the same is true for them right now. It provides me and my colleagues an opportunity to give back, to lead, to inspire and to create a ripple effect of change.

– Archy Posada, Associate Product Manager, San Francisco

Being involved in HOLA has allowed me to fulfill a passion for helping others and give back to the community. It has also enhanced my working experience and given me the opportunity to participate in multiple career and development programs.

– Sandy Arnesto-Lippolis, Renewals Specialist – Maintenance and Support, San Jose

Our HOLA network has grown from a small, dedicated core team in San Jose to a group now in excess of 200 members across six U.S. cities because of our passion for supporting our Hispanic/Latinx members and communities.

– Antonio Humphreys, Senior Manager, Global Procurement – Sales and Marketing, San Jose

Here at the Lehi site we are lucky to have so much support from both our Hispanic and non-Hispanic employees in driving our HOLA events. We truly share the Adobe For All vision. We couldn’t do this without Adobe’s funding and our leadership team’s support. Together we have shared transformational messages to high school students now committed to obtaining a college education, provided recruiting opportunities for diverse college students, and even had fun with salsa making classes!

– Jake Mayorga, Senior Manager, Solution Experience, Lehi

Follow #AdobeForAll and see how our employees are making their communities a diverse and inclusive place for all. Visit our Diversity and Inclusion site to learn more about our initiatives.