Latinx Alumni Share Experiences, Advice During National Hispanic Heritage Month

Network. Take risks. Share your roots.

Have fun.

That’s a sample of the advice offered by some of our Latino alumni.

As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), the Student Services crew reached out to several Latinx alumni who have had an impact at their workplaces and asked them to share their college experiences and offer advice to current and future underrepresented students.

Here’s what they said:

Fabian (Fabi) Manzano

Fabián “Fabi” Manzano is a class of 2020 alum who graduated with a degree in Business Administration, concentrating in accounting and information systems, along with a minor in Ethnic Studies. Born, raised, and currently living in Long Beach, CA, he works as a Senior Tax Technology Consultant with EY.

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
As one of only a few Latino team members working in a technology-focused sector within my firm, it’s been a challenging yet rewarding experience to maneuver through a working world where people of my background are still fairly underrepresented. This adversity, while daunting, has helped motivate me to continue to display my skillsets and prove to myself and my colleagues that underrepresented people can show up and show out as long as they’re given the chance.

What is your workplace superpower?
I’d say my greatest superpower is an undying curiosity to learn and improve. Within the first few years of my career, I’ve been thrown into multiple situations where I had to learn a new application or process on the fly. Not only has this improved my adaptability and overall knowledge, but it has led me down a path where I want to continue learning as much as I can in order to improve my overall understanding of a concept, whether that be related to data science, process automation, or project management.

Ramon Angel

Ramon Angel graduated from the Orfalea College of Business, Cal Poly in the fall of 2009 with a concentration in International Business.

His mother emigrated from Mexico to the United States when he was four years old and raised Ramon on her own. He graduated Arroyo Grande High School in 2002 and joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. He did a combat tour in Iraq specializing in heavy weapons.

He says, “I strongly believe that your experiences in life shape your perspective of any challenges you face. Graduating during a recession was my first challenge in starting my career. But when you dedicate yourself to excelling in all you do, no matter how small the task at hand, you will prosper. I learned that I needed to stand out, not only for being a minority, but to get hired by an employer.”

Can you describe your job search?
I realized that I wanted to focus my energy on the agriculture industry, because for the most part it’s recession-proof. Everyone needs to eat. My first opportunity came with Gold Coast Packing. When I called in, they were already in their final round of interviews. But with the preparation that was given to be by mentors and career counselors at Cal Poly, I got hired in the following days.

What would you tell people looking for jobs now?
My lesson to you is don’t give up when you encounter barriers. Find a way to get your resume into the hands of the people that make the decisions and be prepared to take opportunities. You make your own luck. What use is it to have an opportunity and not be prepared to take it? My next piece of advice is to focus on a career that you will enjoy and provide for what you want in life. My main goal in life was to live in the Central Coast. I knew that with the average home in San Luis Obispo being $800K, I needed to look at positions that would provide an income to sustain living and buying a home in this county. Let’s face it, it’s not an easy task. Sales can be very lucrative, but getting an opportunity to join a team is easier said than done. I focused my energy on being a master of the opportunities given to me at first: Supply Chain Management. Within 3 years of working long hours and growing both personally and professionally, I was given an opportunity to join a sales team in the agriculture industry due to my expertise in Supply Chain Management. My advice is to get creative in becoming an asset to a company for the position you want when you don’t qualify for it or are overlooked. There is always a way, but you have to have tenacity and grit to get what you want.

I currently own my own home in Arroyo Grande, CA and have a lovely family. My wife and I have a 2-year-old little boy and are expecting our little princess at the end of November. I now work for Central West Produce out of Santa Maria, CA. I specialize in business development of mixed berries, and I love every aspect of it. On my days off, you will find me offshore in our local waters hunting Bluefin tuna.

What advice would you give your college self?
Don’t stress on what you can’t control but focus on what you can. Other people’s challenges are opportunities waiting to be taken. Plan without action is just that. Risk while you are young and decide what life you want 10 years from now. And when you get to those 10 years, repeat. Never stop growing. Your network is your net worth.

Pedro Leonardo

Pedro graduated from the Orfalea College of Business in 2019 with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. Pedro transferred to Cal Poly from Cuesta College and grew up in San Luis Obispo County. He now works as an Account Strategist at Vendo.

What is your workplace superpower?
I would say my workplace superpower is taking ownership very seriously. You see your role from a different perspective and make the most advancement in your career when you think of your role as your very own business.

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
My Latinx identity has shaped my career experience in a multitude of ways. Most importantly and the most obvious one is by acknowledging that I am part of a minority and that very few people around me are ‘like me’. What I mean by this is that only very few people had a similar upbringing, culture, experiences . . . sometimes these are radically different to those of my coworkers. Nonetheless, learning how to always keep my feet on the ground and understanding how to fit in with different groups is a crucial skill. I may not have been raised in the same circumstances as them, but today we are on the same playing field and I have to live up to it as well as pave the way for other to come after me.

What advice would you give your college self?
Network. Network more, and then network some more. Especially for business management related careers, who you know, the connections you make, this is what opens doors for you down the line.

I would dare to say this is half of the value you get from college. The world post-college is a lot about what you do and how well you do it, but also who you know, referrals are no joke.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I graduated from Poly three years ago. Since then I have had three different jobs, Walmart, Amazon, and Vendo (the agency I currently work for). I also bought two houses last year, which I treated as investment opportunities. This info is just to add context because in five years, I expect to be in a position where less work will bring in the same or more income. The end goal is to be able to spend more time with my friends, family, and loved ones and dedicate more time toward creating memories with them. At the end of the day, yes, succeeding in your career and climbing the ladder is great. In fact, for some people that is all there is to life. For me, I just want to be happy, but I am also aware that in order to live comfortably and provide for my family, I need to set myself up to be in a good and reliable financial position.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Enjoy your time in college, as in, really cherish it! These years are going to fly by so fast! For me it was literally a flash since I was a transfer student. Next thing you know you’ll be three years into your professional life reminiscing what great times you had. At times, you will also realize how much simpler life was back then, you just did not notice it. All in all, keep working hard, college is not easy, but if you make the most out of every day, you will come out on top and you will be ready to succeed in the professional world.

Karla Arteaga-Flores

Karla Arteaga-Flores was a transfer student who recently graduated from Cal Poly in June and began her full-time position as a Tax Associate in July with CBIZ. Her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was 3, and she was the first in my immediate family to attend university.

“Being first gen and a Dreamer have taught me so much and myself and my family and I love sharing what I learned during my time at Cal Poly,” she said.

What is your workplace super power?
My workplace super power is not being afraid to ask questions. I learned that you don’t always have to figure out the answer alone, and asking for help can not only save time but help build connections. For a long period in my life I felt that I had to know the answer as the eldest sister and was afraid to ask questions, but as time has passed I have learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but of strength. There is always someone willing to help if you are willing to ask for it.

What advice would you give your college self?
Always say yes to every opportunity. This does not mean that every opportunity will be right for you, but you will learn what you like and dislike that way. I was very nervous my first year at Cal Poly but wish I had said yes to more clubs, events, and possible opportunities. My second year I said yes to almost too many things, but I enjoyed my time and experiences so much more. As the saying goes, “You miss all the opportunities you don’t take”.

Omar Garcia-Gomez

Omar was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and made his way down to SLO when he started Cal Poly in the fall of 2011. He now lives in Santa Monica and works in the sales organization of a FinTech start-up that is on a mission to make fair and transparent credit available to everyone through the use of AI and Machine Learning.

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
I am a proud first generation Mexican-American. While working in tech, you don’t see many people like me. I make sure to speak up and share my thoughts and ideas to ensure that our voices are heard. I have also had the privilege of spearheading employee resource groups focused on being Latinx and I attribute this to my time at Cal Poly where I was a part of the Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA).

What advice would you give your college self?
Do not be afraid to take up space and be authentically you as it is what will grant you success in your professional and personal life. Ask for help, share your thoughts/ideas and enjoy the ride.

Angela Mendez

Angela Mendez is a first-generation Latina, who graduated from Cal Poly in June 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource and Management with a minor in Psychology. She is currently the current HR Benefits Program Coordinator at Glidewell Dental.

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
My Latina identity has allowed me to share my personal experiences with others at work. As the Coordinator, I created a fun and interactive “National Hispanic Heritage – Spirit Week” where employees get to appreciate their culture and get featured in our newsletter. There were days when employees got to share their favorite traditional dish and explain its significance, and on other days, they got to dress in their cultural attire. As a new employee, this was very special to me because I truly value my culture, and getting to hear and share these experiences with other employees is very heartwarming to see.

What advice would you give your college self?
The advice I would give my college self is to celebrate the little things. Many times I found it easy to be very hard on myself for not over-exceeding on the things I wanted to even though I was trying my hardest. I would tell myself that I did my best and that is all that matters. As long as there is effort, there is a purpose for a celebration.

Elizabeth Gonzalez Padilla

Elizabeth Gonzalez Padilla was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jal. Mexico. She graduated from Cal Poly in Dec. 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Adm. with a concentration in Accounting. Elizabeth was a transfer student from Chaffey College and was involved in Transfer-mation at Cal Poly. Now, Elizabeth is working at EY in Los Angeles as a Staff in Tax (Global Compliance and Reporting). She just survived her first tax busy season!

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
As a Latina my career experience has been a fight against fear. Fear of not being able to communicate clearly with people at work. Spanish is my native language and learning English at the age of 19 was not easy at all. Somedays, I feel intimidated to speak because people notice my accent and feel ashamed because they do not understand what I say. There are days when I question myself if I’m qualified for a position where I know it will require a lot of speaking and engagement, but people around my career journey have shown me that I should be proud of my contributions to the teams. Sometimes we don’t recognize our special contributions to the workforce as Latinx, but it’s very important to celebrate how beautiful diversity is and how that mix of cultures makes this country so rich.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Never be afraid of sharing your roots and where you’re coming from, you’ll find your colleagues talking about tacos and tequila with you in the office = team bonding! 🙂

Brianna Gomez

Brianna is a first-generation Latina who graduated from Cal Poly in June 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management. She now works as a Digital Marketing Specialist at a Microbiology company.

What is your workplace superpower?
My workplace superpower is collaboration and determination. I love to be a help, be positive, creative and explore different solutions and seeing the end goal. Having perseverance in all that is done to be able to resolve problems that are encountered is important, especially in a team setting.

What advice would you give your college self?
Advice I would give my college self would be to worry less. I felt the pressure of getting all good grades and passing all my classes all while working full time. I most of all was worried about not having a job right after college. This was frustrating for me, but I would give the advice to live in the moment, and everything will work itself out in its own timing.

Lizet Lopez

Lizet Lopez graduated from OCOB in June 2020, starting as a Finance Associate in the Finance Rotational Program at Apple. She now works in FP&A at Apple.

What is your workplace superpower?
I would identify my workplace superpower as being a quick-learner. During my 18 months at Apple, I rotated across various Finance teams. It was important for me to quickly come up to speed to begin adding value to the team and producing high-quality work. In my experience, I’ve been able to take little direction and successfully run with it to fully complete a project.

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
Being a first-generation Latina, I’m motivated to mentor and support others with similar backgrounds as my own. I’d love to not to not only see more Latinos in Finance, but also see Latinos be represented at the leadership level. In order for this to happen, it’s important to have advocates and mentors at an early stage. At Apple, I’m a mentor for Apple’s Launch@Apple college mentorship program. It’s rewarding to support the development of young professionals with similar backgrounds as my own. I hope to continue mentorship for other Latinos in business or finance.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
In 5 years, I hope I’m in a role where I’m still challenged. If I feel challenged I know that I’m in a place where I can continue me personal and professional development.
Anything else you’d like to share? Work hard, but enjoy the journey!

Arly Lovo

Arly Lovo graduated from OCOB in July 2019 and now works as an Analyst at Google.

What is your workplace superpower?
I try to listen to every perspective and question everything, before making assumption

How has your Latinx identity shaped your career experience?
I am always grateful to have such hard working and resilient parents, in my career I always think of them when making major decisions.

What advice would you give your college self?
Showing up is already half the battle, I got a lot of opportunities by simply being in the right room.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Running my own business.