José Monroy

Please explain what you do for living.

I am a Partner Operations Lead at Google Pittsburgh, leading the team that provides technical support for our Google Shopping partners worldwide.

How important in your identity is being Latino?

My Latino identity is important because it helps define who I am as a person. It represents my Puerto Rican heritage, my culture, and part of what makes me a unique individual. It means celebrating El Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos, eating pan sobao or Puerto Rican pasteles, conversing in Spanish with my family and friends, or cheering for Puerto Rican baseball players. It means that no matter what I do in my life or where I go, my Latino identity will always be part of who I am.

Is there something that you particularly value of your nationality or being Latino?

I value the rich and diverse culture of the Latino community. Latino is often used as a broad term to describe a population segment, but it really is much more than that. We come from different continents and regions all over the world, each with its own distinct cultural differences. Whether we are Puerto Rican, Cuban, Costa Rican, Mexican or other Latino nationality, each has it own differences in the way they speak Spanish, their unique foods and drinks, their own special holidays, and more. The diversity within the Latino culture is truly endless and wonderful.

Have you been treated differently because of being Latino (in the workplace, in public settings…etc.)?

On a few occasions, some people have been surprised to discover I am Latino. They are surprised that I speak English with no accent, or that I do not have a darker skin tone, or that I do not match other expectations of what a Latino is suppose to look like. While it may not have adversely affected me, it is disappointing that there are people who rely on these stereotypes of Latinos when we are such a broad and diverse group of people.