Buried in the marks of memories are questions one often wonders – what is it that made me who I am today? The world we live in is an amalgamation of cultures, languages, people, and their experiences. Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of this intricate web of relationships – to acknowledge and honor where we come from and how it shapes us.
We have the honor to introduce one such wonderer- Samantha Garduño Martinez. Samantha is a Retail GTM Coordinator for Latin America at HONOR. She grew up in an environment where creative education was encouraged for children to explore their abilities with very little technological involvement. Her passion for learning new skills, cultures and languages has become an integral part of both her professional and personal journey.
Exploring cultures, traditions, and careers
From a very young age, Samantha has been very interested in learning about various cultures, histories, and languages. As she talks about the different aspects of exploring cultures other than one’s own, it is evident how passionate she is about her interests and that her professional life was able to thrive based on them.
Through the years, she has learned Chinese and French as additional languages. Her interest in Chinese culture since middle school has impacted almost every sphere of her life- from significant theses to daily interests. Having studied the Chinese language opened many opportunities for her as she eventually started her career working in a Chinese company. Her command over the language was especially useful for communication within the company between management and employees. Although, it wasn’t the first job she ever had.
“Finding my first job wasn’t easy. It was in no way related to my current career, being related to research. Even though I didn’t like it very much, I did learn a lot of different things from it.”
After quitting this job, Samantha decided to travel along with her search for the career she wanted for herself. It was then that she got a call from her Chinese teacher about an opportunity with Huawei for a Chinese-speaking professional. She believes this is where her career really started, when she began working in a role that pushed her to use all of her skills. A year later, she switched to working for HONOR, originally as a regional manager. The change to becoming a Retail GTM Manager came with added responsibilities and skills she needed to learn.
“It’s okay for me because I’m learning a lot, and it’s important for my future goals…”
Samantha explains how knowing what she wanted for her career. On her list were pointers such as a technological company, an organization where she could speak Chinese and deal with multiple countries. Everything fell in place when she discovered the job role at Huawei. She opens up as she talks about how she might have liked to study something else instead of the International Relations and Business degree she has. Immediately after this confession, she relays with determination her decision to give herself the time and space to rebuild and relearn.
“I decided to invest in myself…I wanted to do something for myself, including learning more about Data Science to create more future opportunities…”
Changed perspectives and cultural outlooks
While working in a Chinese company was an exciting experience for Samantha, it also posed a series of cultural shifts that she noticed. She discovered many things previously unknown to her. One of her most impactful observations was how trusting and liberal the management style was- a stark contrast to what she had grown accustomed to in Mexico. Management and leaders would trust employees and relied less on guidance, more on practical knowledge. She also noticed how important communication was in the work culture to maintain transparency and clarity. Her Hispanic identity, she noted, added to her professional approach by imbibing the importance of hard work in her. Samantha remembered learning and seeing how influential a hardworking approach is, culturally, to becoming an active contributor.
When she started as a Retail Manager, she decided she needed to learn Data Science skills to increase efficiency and meet the goals she was expected to fulfil. As a Hispanic woman in a company different from her own culture, she also had to overcome certain microaggressions based on the stereotype that women are usually better at simpler tasks, not complex analyses. Her success is proof that she, and innumerable other women across the world, are not just capable of performing complex tasks but also excelling with expertise in them. Her advice for young women and Hispanic professionals far and wide adds to Great Learning’s aim of empowering lives with knowledge to work towards a levelled playing field:
“Don’t be afraid of learning something new. If you don’t try, you won’t know if you’re good at it or not.”
Find out more about the PGP in Data Science and Business Analytics here.
