There is a recurring feeling among the Hispanic community that comes to work in a new city or company in the United States: the absence of a sense of belonging, an estrangement that raises an insurmountable wall when it comes to building community or feeling part of the team we arrived at. .
And although this seems to be a normal or easy issue to overcome, the truth is that it can trigger a series of insecurities and difficulties that permeate professional and operational areas, hindering the flow and development of the company.
“In the many cities I have lived in in the United States, I have had the feeling that I was 'neither here nor there.'
It is a feeling that every immigrant knows.
A feeling that is felt even in the second generation or possibly in the third generation.”
This is how Ximena Roth, B2B Marketing Manager at UPS, tells it, trained in digital marketing and sales channels, associations and customer segmentation, for whom facing a new ecosystem not only labor but also sociocultural, coupled with a professional path does not conventional outlined the greatest challenge of life.
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, where she lived until she was five years old, Ximena Roth grew up in a home of Mexican immigrants in the so-called “capital of Latin America”: Miami.
In the United States, Ximena obtained her university degree in Psychology to later work in the non-profit sector, providing immigration legal services as an accredited representative for the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the highest administrative body to interpret and apply the laws. of immigration.
After this, Ximena's professional life took an important turn.
First, he focused on something totally different from what he had done until then, which was the corporate marketing of a company belonging to the Fortune 50 list, through a program to study a Master of Business Administration (MBA, for its acronym in English). ), which was accompanied by a scholarship that covered tuition costs.
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Empathetic Allies and Shared Accomplishments
Currently, as a foreign-born Latina, Ximena Roth's work, preparation and effort place her within the 4% of corporate senior management of Hispanic origin in the United States.
In addition, she is the sole breadwinner in her family of six (her husband is a full-time stay-at-home father), part of the 15% of married women in the United States who are themselves married. the primary financial pillar.
But she couldn't have done this alone.
Today Ximena is the proud leader of the export team with the ability to visualize global strategies based on data and maximize results.
This leadership is preceded by different experiences, teachings, mentorships and strategic alliances.
One of them, she confesses, has been substantial in the development of her path, one that is complex and atypical.
“I am grateful for the support I have received on my unconventional path over the past six years at a company like UPS, where even our own CEO, Carol Tome, has modeled her own unconventional path so that the company and the industry see it: being the first 'outsider' CEO and the first female CEO in the company's 115-year history.
And that pioneering spirit is contagious”, says Ximena Roth.
Ximena Roth, 100% proud and unstoppable Hispanic talent.
For this proudly Hispanic board, a central element in building their own support network has been Crecer, UPS's Hispanic/Latino Business Resource Group (BRG).
“My experience with this dynamic group of leaders has allowed me to realize that my unconventional path is not something that diminishes, on the contrary: my Latinoity helps UPS better understand our customers, transform our workforce and impact our communities. for the better,” says Roth.
The board shares three vital pieces of advice that have served her well throughout her personal journey and professional development:
1. Don't do it alone
.
Don't carry everything yourself and stay connected with those who, like you, have forged unconventional paths of their own.
Listen to the stories of others;
encourage each other and hold each other accountable.
2. Always tell your story
.
Choose a tangible object or a reference that helps you remember your roots and how much you have overcome.
Some keep the stub from their first paycheck in a new country or a ring left by their grandmother when she left.
It can be anything as long as it always reminds you of your story.
3. Bring others like you with you
.
For me, few things excite me more than providing an opportunity to a Hispanic in my circles of influence.
That's why I help lead our MBA recruitment for diverse candidates at UPS, through the Consortium for the Graduate Study of Management (CGSM), directly influencing the pipeline of Latino talent at our company.
Ximena Roth comments that Hispanic representation, while growing, is still too low in corporate America.
However, the way we can change that and help keep our culture alive in various facets of society is by educating others as we go.
This is an area where she has really seen the Hispanic community thrive.
He adds: “As you move into the future without forgetting your past, you will discover that you can be both 'from here and from there.'
And the more I embrace the good of both places and cultures, the more prosperous I am in my unconventional path.”
