Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope

Hola Gente!

Every year from September 15 through October 15 at Adobe, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This gives us the chance to set aside some time to recognize the ongoing contributions made by people of Latinx and Hispanic heritage to our cultural, political, social and economic life at Adobe and beyond.

This year, I’m especially excited because this is my first year as the Executive Sponsor of HOLA, Adobe’s Hispanic/Latinx employee network. Today, HOLA has over 17 sites across the globe and more than 700 members and allies participating in community building, personal and professional development. We can’t wait to see those numbers grow even more!

Throughout the month, HOLA will host employee events around the theme Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage & Hope – a great opportunity to learn, participate and get involved.

The power of community

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, surrounded by a loving and tight-knit family. A few years after my parents divorced, my mom’s husband’s job landed us in the US. The move came with a number of challenges and with a life-long lesson on the infinite value of family and community - a lesson that strengthened every summer when I visited home.

Integrating into a new life in California was hard, and as a teenager, I struggled with many insecurities - my accent and a feeling of not belonging. In school, I’d hide behind my studies because social interaction and integration was a much harder task. It wasn’t until college that I finally found my voice, when I became an integral part of an inspiring and supportive community. I often think about the many amazing people who supported me along the way and my hope is to do the same for others.

That’s why I’m excited to lead HOLA. For me, it’s all about building that same sense of community which can be an enormous source of strength for us all. I’ve been fortunate to have a great deal of mentors along the way, and I realize not everyone is as lucky. I see becoming HOLA’s Executive Sponsor as an opportunity to pay it forward, by uplifting and empowering others to be successful, here at Adobe and beyond.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Esperanza, which means “hope” in Spanish, is a great theme for this month’s events. As I write this today, fires are raging in California, the pandemic still threatens so many, with a world having many challenges that need facing.

For me, hope and heritage are inextricably linked - my community gives me strength and inspiration. The past two years have been particularly tough with a lot of ups and downs (maybe many more downs), but it was my ability to lean-in on my friends and family that kept me moving forward. There is something magically bonding about sharing challenges with others. And when we do, we find that these experiences strengthen our relationships because we feel supported knowing we are not alone. We’re also energized to keep doing the next right thing – no matter how hard.

For this year’s celebration at Adobe, we will spotlight and raise funds for several organizations including the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), UNIDOS US, E4 Youth, Chamos, Sunday Friends and Kapor Center - all of which are invested in and addressing issues uniquely targeting the Latinx/Latine and Hispanic community. We’ll also take time to celebrate together as HOLA - with music, art, and food from our community of amazing creatives at Adobe.

Beyond Adobe, we encourage you to engage with us as we spotlight the Hispanic/Latinx creator community across social media with a special edition of #WomenCreateWednesday featuring inspiring Hispanic/Latinx women and their stories. Through our Create Change series, we will also celebrate the creative work and experience of the Hispanic community, educate our audience about Hispanic history and legacy, and amplify Hispanic creators and their voices.

At Adobe, I hope to continue growing the HOLA community and finding ways to celebrate and elevate Latin/Hispanic voices and stories. Working with this group of committed and passionate HOLA leaders, I am truly filled with hope and confidence for a brighter future.

Join the celebration!