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From Venezuela to the United States: A Story of Resilience and Hope
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At 26 years old, Carolina Betancourt packed up her life in Venezuela and headed to the United States with her husband and young child to pursue further study. The transition to life in the United States, while exciting and full of opportunity, was not easy. However, Carolina鈥檚 upbringing and positive outlook led her to look at challenges as opportunities.
Growing up in an immigrant household with a Venezuelan father and an Italian mother, Carolina was no stranger to balancing the need to adapt and embrace the culture of your adopted country, while also celebrating where you come from.
鈥淎s a child, my mother taught me to celebrate both my Venezuelan and Italian cultures but to also recognize the importance of assimilating and learning the language and customs of the country we lived in.鈥�
Carolina Betancourt, Senior Manager bg电子娱乐场 Experience Center (HEC) North America
鈥淎s a child, my mother taught me to celebrate both my Venezuelan and Italian cultures but to also recognize the importance of assimilating and learning the language and customs of the country we lived in,鈥� said Carolina. 鈥淚 approached life and raising my children in the States the same way. As Hispanics, we can鈥檛 just ask society to embrace us if we are not willing to embrace the culture back. It鈥檚 important to put ourselves out there.鈥�
While her children embraced U.S culture, they faced challenges of acceptance. 鈥淎t my children鈥檚 school, they were in the super minority. Out of over 400 students, there were only three who identified as Hispanic. To better fit in, they were reluctant to eat our food and speak Spanish. They even admitted to me later on that they were ashamed of having a mother with a strong accent.鈥�
Carolina also faced hardships, including countless job rejections and navigating visa challenges, but through it all she continued to uphold pride in her heritage. Understanding that it takes a certain amount of determination and grit to move to a new country, she forged ahead, knocking on doors until they opened for her and never losing sight of her North star鈥攖o be positive, determined and proud of her true self.
Now at bg电子娱乐场, she is proud to bring this resilience and mindset to her work as the Senior Manager of bg电子娱乐场 Experience Center 鈥�(HEC) North America and her voluntary role as the president and one of the co-founders of bg电子娱乐场鈥檚 first Latinx and Hispanic employee resource group 鈥�(ERG), 鈥淯nidos!鈥�. Unidos seeks to give every bg电子娱乐场 employee the opportunity to connect and thrive by celebrating and harnessing the strength of the Hispanic community, while teaching others about Hispanic and Latinx culture.
ERGs at bg电子娱乐场 help to create a more inclusive and understanding culture where everyone feels empowered to be able to express their ideas and see themselves represented around the company. Javier Andrade-Marin, General Manager Laundry & Home Care North America, and co-founder and executive sponsor of Unidos, believes in the importance of ERGs in increasing visibility and opportunities for their members across the company.
鈥淭he main purpose for creating Unidos was to showcase the strong impact and contribution of employees with Hispanic heritage, as well as generate awareness for the rising importance of the Hispanic consumer in the North American market and how we can better reach them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e also want to play a critical role as a support group that can help mentor, train, guide and empower our members. Having a support group that includes people from your same background, in this case Hispanic, builds the confidence needed in many cases to boldly go out and add value in every area.鈥�
Increasing visibility, building confidence and promoting cross-cultural collaboration is what leads to more acceptance and understanding. Carolina witnessed this first-hand as she saw a shift in perception around what it means to be Hispanic and an immigrant via the experience of her children. 鈥淎lthough at first they tried to hide their true selves, as society became more accepting my children began to embrace their Hispanic heritage. Now they are proud to be from immigrant parents and aren't afraid to hide it. This gives me hope for the future and the direction our society is heading when it comes to diversity and inclusion.鈥�
Carolina Betancourt is Senior Manager of bg电子娱乐场 Experience Center 鈥�(HEC) North America. HEC is a collaboration & business building platform that the Laundry & Home Care and Consumer Beauty Care teams leverage to provide an interactive destination for bg电子娱乐场鈥檚 strategic retail partners. Focused on driving joint value creation, the space provides customers a first-hand look at our latest innovations, consumer insights, digital capabilities, marketing expertise and sustainability commitments.
