Latina Entrepreneurs as Risk Takers
Latina IBM exec Maria Hernandez, one of 12 recipients of this year’s Hispanic Women of Distinction in South Florida award, offers advice to other Hispanic women
When Maria Hernandez took an internship at IBM during her junior year in college, she probably never expected that she would climb up the corporate ladder so quickly or so high. But that’s in fact what happened, as she moved from Systems Programmer to IBM’s Chief Innovation Officer – Latin America. She was the first Latina to have been elevated to this position.
But this transition from keyboard jockey to front-line executive has a back story. When she was nine years old, her family moved from Cuba to Spain. After three years, they then settled in New York, where she eventually gained a degree in Management Information Systems her calling card for that career-building IBM internship. And for the past nine years, she’s lived in Florida.
For many, she now represents the quintessential American dream: an immigrant who studied and worked hard to earn her bona fides. After all, she says, I didn’t become an executive when I first started out as an intern or when I was hired into IBM. It took hard work, perseverance, access to opportunities and the support of my mentors to get to where I am today.
Despite this humble statement, she’s now being recognized for her many achievements, being one of 12 recipients of this year’s Hispanic Women of Distinction in South Florida award. She will officially be honored for her hard-earned worth on Friday, August 15, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida, an event that’s sponsored by Latina Style National Magazine and Bank of America.
More than 60 nominations were submitted, and Maria was unanimously selected by four judges based on her application. The judges don’t even know each other, so it is truly based on the recipients service and their ability to continue their heritage and traditions, says Elaine Vasquez, president of We Do Events, the events producer wife of the awards founder, the late Dr. Erwin Vasquez.
Cultural DNA and Hispanic Branding
This applies to the many Hispanic entrepreneurs she comes across as a leader/participant in the many programs she’s involved with. She sees them as the future, laying the groundwork for further generations, something she credits to their cultural DNA. Like her, many of them come from humble backgrounds but have a spark passed down to them from their parents, grandparents and other family members, as well as their larger communities.
You might live in a small town and your father has a business, and then you either become part of that business or you launch something based on the needs of the community. There’s a risk-taking aspect to this, just as there are with immigrants. If you’re willing to leave whatever country you come from behind to come here and start over, you likely have the key characteristics of any entrepreneur. You must be a risk taker, she emphasizes.
She also notes that Hispanic women have a cultural brand of sorts, passed down through the generations. Unfortunately, many Latinas don’t recognize this until people such as Hernandez point it out to them and how this brand can benefit them.
Family and relationship building is very important, and that’s part of our brand. We’re loyal, and again, that’s part of our brand. We tend to be grounded in our values, and that’s also part of our brand. When I point that out, that’s when the light bulb goes on. It’s like Oh, so you mean things that I do on a day-to-day basis and take for granted are valued by big corporations and clients? I say, Yes. You’re your best asset, Hernandez remarks.
Insight and Involvement
Given her insight into and active involvement in the Hispanic community, it’s hardly surprising Hernandez was nominated to become one of 12 recipients of this year’s Hispanic Women of Distinction in South Florida award. But that’s just the icing on the cake.
The real distinction comes from knowing she’s helping others to take advantage of everything they are to become the best they can be, whether it’s an entrepreneur or a Fortune 500 executive, she notes. I’m personally rewarded and inspired by the Latina professionals, students and entrepreneurs who have the capacity to reach their fullest potential and shape the world of tomorrow.
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