Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Seleste Sanchez

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 - October 15

To center diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we invited OSCPA members to share their experiences on culture and identity while navigating the personal and professional world. 

When I was asked to be featured during Hispanic Heritage Month, I felt so proud to have the opportunity to represent a part of a cultural heritage that is so vibrant, strong, and diverse. I am a Latina, a Mexican American, and the descendant of people who came from many parts of the globe. My grandmother Selestina, who I am named after, used to say that our family had been in New Mexico before it became part of the United States. Like the Los Angeles muralist Ruby Chacón says, “We are Mexicans who never crossed the border, it crossed us.”

Before accounting I had a career in anthropology where I worked and lived in Latin America. I worked with fruit vendors in the Yucatán, exploring the strengths within the networks of open-air markets. I worked on development projects with subsistence farmers in Alta Verapaz Guatemala, including digging wells and building a bridge. Through these experiences I have gained innumerous lessons about life, the various ways that people make ends meet.

I believe that one of the most powerful messages that Hispanic culture can offer to the rest of the world, is that by working together you can achieve greatness. The networks of fruit vendors in the Yucatán provide income for women and create informal lines of credit which increase everyone’s access to fresh produce. The 32 villages around Salinas de los Nueve Cerros in Guatemala have banded together for development projects, such as installing a bridge to prevent the isolation of several villages during rainy season. I try to bring these lessons with me to the workplace and encourage teamwork and synergy. People need to be respected as they communicate their needs and point of view, and reciprocity is fundamental.

I think that predominantly White institutions could help support Hispanic and Latinx populations by better understanding the diversity that encompasses such groups. Some of us speak Spanish, but not all of us. We come from all over the globe, we have all shades of skin, and many of us know more than one language. Some of us are new to the United States, while others have indigenous ties to the region. It is important to remember the diversity among Hispanic people. We all have preconceived notions about cultural groups that we must combat to be able to see the full beauty and depth that group offers. This celebration of Hispanic Cultural Heritage provides a perfect opportunity to honor and explore our diversity.

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