Celebrating culture at work is important, to me, because you can learn about diversity and this learning can help broaden our way of thinking. This broadened thinking can then help us find new ways of doing things or simply allow us to connect with different types of people, whether it be relating to co-workers or better serving customers. As a Puerto Rican, I am proud to celebrate my culture at the TMX Finance® Family of Companies, at home, and with my friends and family.
To celebrate and honor my Puerto Rican culture, I try to continue speaking my native language to not lose my accent and to, of course, cook traditional food at home! Arroz con gandules is a dish that’s simple, but always reminds me the holidays and being surrounded by family.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, I encourage everyone to respect my Hispanic heritage by going beyond just eating the traditional food. There is a ton of diversity within the Hispanic culture and these regional and cultural differences translate into the various traditional Hispanic foods. Don’t assume that every person from Latin America or the Caribbean will know how to make tamales; it may not be part of their culture. Paches, chuchitos, bollos, and pasteles, which are most prominent foods in my Puerto Rican culture, are different versions of tamales, and come from different Latin American countries and cultures.
While the Puerto Rican food is delicious, my favorite part of my Puerto Rican culture is the unity, from family to people coming together against adversity. For more than a century, Puerto Rico and its people have been vital contributors to building and sustaining the United States we know today, in my opinion. I look forward to the day when my native land, a nation with its own flag, music, culture, and language, will be recognized as a contributor.