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This 2019, Hispanotech celebrates 10 years inspiring the Latin Community to connect, succeed and give back in Canada. Last September 19th, our community was part of this big celebration!

In an entertaining and memorable evening, our members, partners and friends enjoyed the genuine Latin spirit, music, food and networking, while learning more about the past, present and future of Hispanotech.

We recognized the vision of our Founders and the commitment of our Volunteers and Directors, all of whom have selflessly contributed their time and effort over the last 10 years. Among the activities: our Founders shared the story of Hispanotech’s beginnings and initial growth, whereas our current President communicated the vision of Hispanotech’s future. There were prizes, laughs, and many pictures to remember this milestone in our history.

Many thanks to our sponsors: Ernst & Young, Tenet/Groupe Access, RBC Wealth Management, Impact Insurance and ICTC for helping us to keep fostering the power of networking.

In addition, we would like to express our gratitude to all who attended the event, our Founders, our Board of Directors, and the amazing Team of volunteers, that were fundamental to this event’s success.

Top 3 Benefits of volunteering for Hispanotech

Have you tried Online Dating sites back home? Well, let me tell you that meeting people in Canada is not as easy as meeting people in your hometown; Mainly because as Hispanics, referrals are a substantial factor in making a choice over services: “My cousin told me she found her boyfriend at _____” or  “Maria told me that Luisa met her husband using ____.” In Canada, without family and friend’s opinion, your best approach is online research.

In December 2018, when I moved to Canada, I knew Facebook would be the path to meet people, make some friends, and socialize with new groups. My concern was to meet colleagues who can talk about a career in the Canadian landscape and at the same time, understand the cultural Hispanic angle. My research led me to Hispanotech, and I have to say not only online. I remembered attending interviews at different corporations looking for Spanish speaker professionals, and when I asked them which was a competitive professional network in Ontario to join, their first response was: Hispanotech.

I visited their website and clicked on the Membership tab, where they also offered volunteering opportunities. Laura, their volunteer coordinator, responded me back with an invitation for a first event at the Metro Hall, my first Spanish professional event at one of the postmodern buildings in Toronto, I felt excited. When I saw they were actively looking for volunteers in marketing, I raised my hand and rolled up my sleeves; I was ready to prove my capabilities and help them developed their annual goals.

As a volunteer, I earned benefits and privileges:

– Network, professionals at Hispanotech have been a few years in the market, they wear the Canadian experience on a Hispanic skin. No one better to assess your career, understanding where you are coming from.

– Events, as attendee and volunteer I participated in professional and social gatherings at Google, Side Walk Labs, PWC & EY. The exposure to lectures on multiple industries and experienced professionals gives visibility to my professional goals in Canada.

– People, this is one of the best benefits. Laura, Carlos, and Gabriel have made my Hispanotech volunteering something “placentero“, a pleasant experience, by recognizing and encouraging my talents.

– The cherry on the top is the mix of the above in a casual context: You make smart friends, attend sweet pubs, and have fun!

In the end, I realized Hispanotech is the platform to draw the best of my skills, experience, capabilities, and knowledge. It is on me to make the best out of this opportunity. All summarizes on playing your best self because you never know who is watching. Stay active, smart, and productive: Nothing compares to the rewards of self-satisfaction.

Reflections on Hispanotech’ s 10^th Anniversary

In 2019, Hispanotech.ca celebrates a milestone 10 years in operation, so this is a good time to remember our beginnings, assess our present and imagine our future.

Hispanotech.ca was founded by six successful information technology professionals that wanted to share the lessons they had learned, to help other Hispanic immigrants that were trying to understand, integrate and succeed in the Canadian technology sector. These six Founders formed the initial Board of Directors and, even though they passed the baton long ago, you can still find them participating in events, volunteering as mentors and providing advise to our Board.

Since its inception, Hispanotech’ s main activity was on technology events that promote networking. As every immigrant knows, the biggest loss they experience when they move to a new country is their network of friends, relatives, school buddies and work colleagues. Hence the emphasis on networking. The weather, transportation and geography are manageable concerns, as are cultural differences, but for Hispanics moving to Canada, as is the case for many visible or noticeable minorities, there is also the language challenge, and the fabled Canadian experience. To help with language, all Hispanotech events are conducted in English.

As a more comprehensive response to these challenges, we started our Mentorship Program five years ago, adapting the TRIEC program to produce results in a shorter timeframe of 3 months, and we have since enhanced it every year. A key differentiator of our program is that Mentees receive guidance from a Mentor in the same industry and, more importantly, a person from the same background that has successfully navigated through the same challenges.

We must highlight that our focus is on career success, not cultural assimilation. One of our guiding values is that we are thankful and happy to be Canadian, yet we are proud of our Hispanic heritage. We love our new country AND we celebrate our roots.

Our Hispanotech brand has remained the same, however over the years we have expanded our concept of tech to be more than just information technology, and to include all areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). And we have also expanded Hispanic to include our cousins from Brazil. In fact, this being Canada, we do embrace diversity and accept members from any background, religion and sexual orientation, and 5% of our Members are not Latinos.

As we’ve grown, it has become clear that collaboration with other associations is important, partly because many of our Members participate in multiple groups, and also because working together helps alleviate the workload on our all-volunteer organizations. We started this mindset with our leading role in the LNBB initiative (Latinos Networking Beyond Boundaries) as well as by opening our Mentorship Program four years ago to be a joint initiative with other professional groups.

As we look to the future, we realize and accept that, beyond helping our Members, Hispanotech is well positioned and has a responsibility to play a leading role in the Hispanic community. In addition to joint activities, this may take the form of scholarships, support for community organizations, and donations to our countries of origin, to name a few.

Furthermore, the Hispanic professional community is also well positioned and has a responsibility to give back to Canada, by sharing our lessons learned with other immigrant or native communities that may not have reached the same level of professional maturity.

After ten years of Hispanics helping Hispanics, we see our role evolving to Hispanics helping Canada. And we gladly accept the challenge to lead the way.

By Lucía Gallegos – Guest Contributor

When I arrived in Canada ten years ago I was not sure how things will go for me. I had to create a new personal and professional version of myself and this was a scary process. Constant questions came to my mind such as, how am I going to survive in this new environment? Would I be able to find a job in my area? Different emotions were triggered as a response: anger, fear, stress, anxiety. However, after some strategic planning, I realized I was not asking the right questions and this was keeping me in a loop: paralyzed and terrified.

In Mexico, I worked in the Public Relations and Communication industry, but I was not sure how to continue with that professional path here. After some ups and downs, I started to think outside the box and asked myself instead: How can I redesign my objectives in a new professional environment? What tools do I need? What tools do I already have? Who can help me to design a clear map? Bingo! That was the moment when I realized how badly I wanted to redesign my career, and this was the perfect opportunity to accept the challenge.

With a new professional vision I was ready to take some action. I went back to school and completed a Master´s Degree in Counselling Psychology. Once you know where you are heading to, it is easier to get there. The only piece that I was missing was finding someone who would help me to surf the waves. It is not the same to have an objective when you are familiar with the environment, than to start a journey in the unknown. Leaving the comfort zone is a challenge full of high doses of adrenaline and cortisol that affect the nervous system and our performance and personal life.

I struggled to find a mentor in the beginning. There were different options outside, but finding the perfect one for me was like finding a dancing partner who could understand my rhythm. Once I found the right match, things looked clearer and I started to feel more confident to the point that I was able to achieve my objectives.  This was such a rewarding experience, that when I realized that  Hispanotech was providing mentors and mentees with the opportunity to develop their potentials, I did not hesitate to become a mentor and share my experience and knowledge with the community; keeping in mind that I also wanted  to learn from mentees and other peers.

Mentorship is a win-win situation.  It is a strong relationship with another individual who has different areas of growth and strengths. It is a commitment that involves discipline, creativity, passion and humour, tons of humour.  It is about the opportunity to share challenges with empathy and sympathy. It is not only a place where professional development occurs but also healing and empowerment.  In addition, this program also provides mentors with the opportunity to discover and work new skills and interests in an environment that supports professional development.

Anna (her real name is kept confidential) was the first mentee I worked with. She had professional experience in the health area in her country of origin, and since I have experience in the mental health industry in Ontario, we were aware of the different certifications and registrations that these types of professions needed in Canada, and how these requirements can make someone feel unmotivated and disappointed.

Together we designed goals and strategies for the next weeks.  When you have an objective in mind, good intentions and energy are not enough; work, planning and action are needed.  Anna and I identified the tools she had, but it was important to make sure she understood that she was the artist of her own project. My job was to share my professional experience, to provide her with a different perspective, direction and empowerment techniques.

It was important to be on the same page, so we agreed on the following:

• Create SMART goals
• Embrace challenge
• Communicate
• Learn from each other
• Commitment
• Mutual feedback
• Enjoy the journey
• Have fun!

Those weeks working together with Anna were a rewarding experience. She was able to build a strong professional network, develop clear goals, and design her professional and personal vision for the next five years. She also realized that to become a certified professional in mental health is not impossible once you know what steps to follow.

To be a Hispanotech mentor is an experience full of compassion and gratitude.  It also involves self-knowledge and achievement.  The more we commit with our community, the more we grow together.

Lucía Gallegos. MA, R. P. (Q) offers Psychotherapy and Counselling Services, including helping immigrants to successfully adapt to a new country like Canada.

Contact her at www.luciatherapy.com – luciatherapy@outlook.com – luciatherapy on Twitter and Instagram

It is undeniable that Hispanotech professionals, specially in the IT sector, need to be up-to-date with their knowledge, in order to remain competitive in the Canadian market. Pursuing a degree or certificate in a college or university is a good option, especially with the benefits of networking in person with classmates and instructors. However, online learning has become very popular in the last few years.

One of the most commonly accepted ways to learn online are the MOOC’s, that stand for Massive Open Online Courses. These courses introduce an educational environment online, where students can, not only learn different subjects, but also take tests, participate in forums and earn certificates. These are 5 key benefits of MOOC’s for Hispanotech professionals:

First, the convenience of taking the lesson from anywhere, being your home, during commuting, a park or even during vacation. It is possible to learn from a desktop, laptop, tablet, cellphone, and even from a borrowed or public device. There is a great convenience, also, in having the lessons available 24/7, so students go at their own pace and continue their lesson just where they left on the previous session.

Second, the enriching experience of sharing lessons with students from all across the world. At MOOC’s, students are able to participate in forums, discussion threads, social networking, group assignments, and peer evaluations that foster collaboration and communication among participants. This is, provided, the student makes the effort to participate on these activities.

Third, the knowledge is more recent, as it is easier to update the contents of a MOOC than to update a presencial course. Additionally, these online courses use up-to-date technology to educate participants like multimedia, team dynamics, forums, live sessions, apps and software. As a matter of fact, they use technology to analyse your activity and suggest other courses, or rank you against your classmates for motivation purposes

Fourth, accessibility, MOOC’s allow students from remote places to access the courses, as long as they have an Internet connection. This is a great advantage, as people that did not have the opportunity to assist to a college, are able to learn state-of-the-art technologies and subjects on demand. Courses are available in different languages, which amplifies their reach.

Fifth, price is also a big benefit, as MOOC’s are more inexpensive than off-line education, even some of them, are free of charge, with some limitations on their usage. Nevertheless, MOOC’s may provide you with a valuable certification from a well-known institution. There are some savings in commuting, and other costs associated to attending a location in person.

All in all, MOOC’s make quality knowledge available to the masses, and allow professionals to remain competitive in the market by enhancing skills in the field, or exploring new skills to shape their career. However, it is crucial that the student make the effort to follow the lessons consistently, do their homework and leverage the social functionalities in order to get the most from the experience.

Hello Hispanotech members, welcome to our Newsletter!

The purpose of this newsletter is to build a new channel of communication with our members, where we can present insights from our leaders, thought-provoking articles about trending topics, announcements, interviews, activity calendar and, especially, your stories: Stories from our own members sharing their experiences and inspiring our community.

In this section – Words from our Leaders – we are going to cover the points of view of our leaders in how we are contributing to the professional development of the Hispanic community in Canada.

We are aligning the scope of the Newsletter with the overall vision of Hispanotech that is, to successfully promote and help Hispanic technology professionals to advance their career in Canada through mentoring programs, workshops, networking events and volunteering opportunities.

I invite you to discover what we have in store for this year, participate actively in our community, follow our social media, attend the live events, and enjoy the power of networking.

Finally, contact us if you would like to share your story about how Hispanotech contributed to your professional growth, as a source of inspiration to our members.

To learn more about Hispanotech, please visit https://hispanotech.ca/about-us/

Hello Hispanotech community, my name is Carlos Alavez, I was born in Veracruz, Mexico but lived in Mexico City for almost 44 years. My professional background includes an Engineering in Electronics and Communication, and a Master’s in Business Administration. In 1994, I started my professional career in Sistema Radiopolis, the biggest Radio Broadcast Company in Latin America, as Audio Technician. After four years I landed a position in Televisa Mexico for the Satellite Operation division. Working as an Engineer in Televisa I specialized myself in topics like digital audio-video and satellite transmissions to carry the company’s stream through all Mexico, Europe and North America. My favorite hobbies are photography, cycling, running, going to the movies and eating all types of food.

My wife and I decided to come to Canada, so she can pursue her Master’s at the University of Waterloo. As we were planning in advance for this new challenge, we decided that a mentoring program could help us understand how to tackle the labour market in Canada, and it was a big opportunity to make new friends. After an intensive research, we found Hispanotech. Why Hispanotech? To be honest, at the beginning we were attracted to the program because it was in Toronto, some of the members spoke Spanish, it was related to Technology, and because my alma mater, the Tecnologico de Monterrey was involved as well.

It was after we arrived in Canada in 2017, that Hispanotech assigned me a mentor, and our first meeting was at the Ikea’s Etobicoke restaurant. We had a great conversation and we learned a bit about each other before heading to the first integration activity of the mentorship program. Plus, Ikea’s meatballs were delicious!

The coaching of my mentor was fundamental to my job hunt success in Canada. He taught me how to write my resume, shared his past experiences on how to search for possible companies and how to apply to jobs, how to behave in a job interview, how to pursue mock interviews with real HR executives, and more. Also, in every meeting with the Hispanotech team, I tried to get involved in the networking activities to help me develop my elevator pitch skills.

The mentorship program gave me the tools and prepared me to hunt for a job. I spent several days modifying my resume, making a list of companies within the industry I was interested in, and after one month and a half I started working at Communication and Power Industries in Georgetown as a Technician making the performance tests for vacuum electron devices used in satellite communications that are used by broadcast companies, schools, government, army and research laboratories.  After one year I applied to a Manufacturing Engineering position in the same company and I am happy to say I got promoted and have held that position for the last 6 months.

I recommend the Hispanotech mentorship program. Allow yourself to follow the recommendations of your mentor and the tips received during the meetups. Remember that landing a job is like training for your big race: Work on your program tasks; Sleep and eat properly; Repeat the next day. However, the most important learning is, try to network and do it not for the ultimate job you might get, but because you will meet great people along the way. I am happy to say, I am still in contact with my mentor, and our families and friends get to share big moments together.

For more information about our Mentorship Program, visit https://hispanotech.ca/programs/

When I moved to Toronto, I attended multiple newcomers’ programs to start my job research in Canada. The majority of them advised me to ask people over coffee to build a network. Many questions pop-out in my head: ¿coffee?, ¿with who?, ¿who should I ask?, ¿how should I approach them?, ¿what should I say?. It was then, when I realized that the first person I should take out for coffee was myself; I needed to identify the strategy to approach these people and the way I will be positioning myself.

Next day, I grab my laptop and walk into the first Tim Hortons I found; I needed to immerse into the Canadian experience. While drinking a double-double and revising my resume, I remember I moved to Canada to develop my career in marketing in an English-speaking country; therefore, I needed to connect with the Canadian chapter of companies, associations, and institutions that I was working with in Mexico, sort of a mirror effect. For example, I will reach out to IAB Canada with the approach that I worked with IAB Mexico; I have experience with their services and knowledge in operations in a different market. My strategy triggered the way I will be positioning myself: a professional marketer with experience in the LATAM region.

I invited for coffee people that I met at newcomers programs, events, conferences, LinkedIn, etc. I had 5-8 coffees a week with different personalities of the media and advertising industry, and by continually repeating my personal branding I realized that Hispanics stand out in the market because of our spirit, sense of community and hard workers stereotype.

The cheerful spirit is hard to find in a country with low temperatures and short daylight seasons. Hispanics are well-known for their cheerful spirit in a work environment; greeting people with enthusiasm, creating a friendly atmosphere, involving themselves in social and charity company programs, etc. Multiple studies have proved that cold weather affects mental health, causing disorders associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Let’s face it! If you can choose between working with a person who is optimistic vs. a depressive person, ¿which one will you pick?

The sense of community comes from those many times when your mom or dad asked you to help your uncle, aunt, cousin, grandpa or grandma. All those extra errands pay off today in a new country by bringing you into a collaboration environment. The truth is that we become proactive advocates of teamwork. Hispanics tend to collaborate at teamwork tasks, the extra mile for us means to invite other members of the team to bring out the best of themselves to achieve positive results. We act collectively because it is in our DNA, our social structure comes from a high sense of community.

The Hispanic stereotype hasn’t changed; we are hard workers and we enjoy raising our hand to own our tasks. We value labor recognition as much as financial compensation. According to the World Bank, remittances represent the second or third most important source of income in national economies for Latin American countries. Even Hollywood validated the importance of our labor commitment with movies like “A Day Without Mexican” (2004); as social media with organic campaigns like #DayWithoutImmigrants; both contextually explaining how North American economies are built on Hispanic hard work.

So next time, when you complain about the cold, reject to help others or choose to jump a task just because you are lazy, think twice. You may be avoiding “las bondades de ser Latino.” WE THE SOUTH!

When I first heard the term Smart City, I thought it was just one more buzz word in a world full of smartphones, smart homes and smart cars. I understood that perhaps some insightful marketer would qualify a city as smart for commercial purposes. Nevertheless, I was very curious in understanding a little more about the term and the technologies that form part of its ecosystem.

Smart City is a broad concept that describes a city that uses technology to address major challenges like housing, accessibility, infrastructure, waste management, transportation, utilities, budgeting and services. A combination of technologies, like Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Drones, Sensors and Blockchain enables the operation of a Smart City; and Big Data allows to analyze, measure and optimize the fulfillment. Smart cities aim to improve social, economic and environmental outcomes for its residents through a sound strategy, service modernization, sustainability and customer experience.

The closest case to our community is the city of Toronto, where a vision and roadmap for the application of Smart City principles, including urban design, and the usage of cutting-edge technologies, is currently under development; whereas, a multinational tech company has a project to transform its waterfront into the world’s most technologically advanced neighborhood, including modern solutions to waste collection, sidewalks that melt snow, autonomous taxibots, air quality tracking, benches usage, heated walkways, retractable raincoats, energy usage, pedestrian counts, among other amenities.

As with many innovations, smart cities have received opposition due to concerns on privacy, stating that constant surveillance may affect people’s behaviours, and possibly their own rights as citizens. Considering both points of views, a healthy discussion must be held regarding privacy, data ownership and governance, however both parties should base their opinion on facts, and not assumptions driven by fear or lack of knowledge.

Smart Cities are indeed an emerging subject of innovation that is very related to Canada and the Toronto Community, and being vastly related to different technologies, it is one of Hispanotech’s focus for our events and workshops in 2019. If you want to know more about Smart Cities, visit https://hispanotech.ca/2019/04/07/upcoming-smart-city-event/ where as a member, you have a discount for our upcoming Smart City Vision event on May 16^th, that will offer a Keynote and a panel where industry leaders will show how these innovations will affect people and the environment.

Mr. Vargas has managed to provide his mentees with clever insights, clear recommendations, and great feedbacks; helping them clarify their professional objectives in Canada, improve their resume, and practice interview skills. Being the first person receiving this award, the staff hopes that our community pictures him as a role model, following his tips and best practices. Therefore, below we share an interview that aims to highlight his motivation, his tools and/or strategies to maximize mentee success in this program.As Hipanotech’s 2018 Mentorship Program comes to its end, the coordination staff has been able to identify the first mentor to make it to its new Mentorship ‘Hall of Fame’: William Vargas, a Systems Engineer, MBA and certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) with more than 15 years of experience providing IT and business consulting in the mining, insurance, and banking sectors for companies like Accenture, KPMG, and HQS Consulting. Having an impressive mentoring background, he has worked with 4 mentees in the current and past versions of this program (since 2015) catalyzing growth and effectively guided them towards obtaining jobs in their fields.

Hispanotech:

How did the call to be a mentor arise and what motivates you to continue this type of contribution to Hispanotech’s professional community?

Mr. Vargas:

As part of the strong volunteering culture in Canada, it had always been in the back of my mind how could I give back to the community in a manner I would enjoy. Hispanotech’s Mentorship Program provided me with that perfect opportunity, as I was also mentoring young soon-to-be MBA graduates at the Schulich School of Business since 2014. My main motivation is the rewarding feeling of helping others to avoid some of the struggles that I had myself in the past. In addition, these experiences help me develop various ‘people’ skills, so important and relevant to my work as a Project Manager.

Hispanotech:

How would you describe a healthy relationship between the Mentor and the Mentee?

Mr. Vargas:

I feel there is a healthy relationship when both parties feel committed and benefiting from their interaction. The mentee should not be the most interested and invested party in the mentorship experience; the mentor should acknowledge that there are mutual benefits. Obviously, there is the understanding that the mentee should be highly interested, particularly if she/he is seeking help on getting a job, supporting the general belief that she/he must put most of the effort. But things are not that straight-forward as each person is having her/his own challenges at a certain point, which might hinder them on investing the expected effort. It is here where the mentor could use and/or develop her/his skills on bringing the mentee to a spot where goals could be achieved. This is our development challenge as mentors.

Hispanotech:

What Good Practices and/or methodological tools, do you understand, ensure the success in such relationship?

Mr. Vargas:

There are a couple of ‘tools’ that I feel have helped me on improving as a mentor. First, ensuring in the very beginning that we identify clear and achievable goals, while also setting a plan in a simple spreadsheet. That becomes our guideline. Second, be as responsive as possible to the requests from the mentees and provide positive feedback.

Hispanotech:

What trait and/or aptitude, within your understanding, enable the Mentee to extract the greatest value from a mentoring program?

Mr. Vargas:

I think that commitment and a positive attitude are the most key factors for the mentees to get the best out of the program. These two things will help them allocate the necessary effort and time, while not give up that easily when things do not go as planned.

Hispanotech:

Finally, how does the Hispanotech coordination staff contribute or complicate your work as a mentor?

Mr. Vargas:

Hispanotech has made an amazing job with the coordination and logistics for the program, which can be correlated with the increasing number of both mentors and mentees that enrol in every iteration of the program. Hispanotech’s staff have been ‘enablers’, and I never felt them as an obstacle in any way. The kick-off, midterm, and final sessions for each program are very valuable as they promote commitment and feedback. The idea of the super-mentors seems very good, although I am not sure how much the mentors are using it. Mentoring is a skill and not everybody has it naturally; it can be learned, and there is always room for improvement.

Hispanotech’s Mentorship Program has been translating into great networking and real results thanks to the clever mentor-mentee matching performed by the coordination staff, and the great experience (and motivation) shown by its mentors.

We congratulate Mr. Vargas in obtaining this honour and invite the whole community to give back to the community through volunteering. For now, we can’t wait for our next Mentorship Program session! Who will be the Mentor that will join William on the ‘Hall of Fame’?

 

Written by Carlos Artilez, MEng, PMP