Interview: Alexandra Gomez, IT Data Analyst & Conexión Latino ERO/ERG Leader 

By Angela Tai

How did you personally gain an interest in technology? 

It really started at home. I became the go-to troubleshoot person at home when my parents would come to me when they were having problems with the computer. My interest started at that point - I had to learn how to fix the computer’s problems whether it was something like connecting to the printer or even resetting the router modem. My interest hit its peak in high school, I signed myself up for web design classes and started learning the HTML, CSS and a little bit of the Adobe Creative Suite. In my senior year of high school, I started taking a Cisco networking course. There’s just so much you can do with tech - it’s not just limited to web design or coding, there’s so many different areas of it so that’s where my head was at. When I started university, I started as an architecture major but soon enough, I ended up switching and going back to tech. I found that MIS is that perfect balance of having the critical business skill set regardless of what industry or company you go into but also bringing in that tech element into it. 

Did you have engineers in your family that you looked up to or are you the first person to go into the STEM field?

I am the first one in my family to go into the STEM field and go to college. It was really tough at first, I didn’t even have cousins who were pursuing majors close to that. It was hard to navigate but I utilized as many resources as I could at school and online to try and get ahead and stay up-to-date on what I needed.

Statistically speaking, only around 3% of women in tech are Latina. The Obama administration famously pushed a STEM/tech-focused agenda to attract a more diverse talent pool. What do you think will be key to not just attract but retain Latina students to careers in technology/STEM?

I think a key factor in that is really just seeing and increasing the representation. There’s a lot of Latinos involved in the ERG at Cisco and because we’re always chatting together and representing at the same events, it feels like there’s a lot of us but when we take a step back and look at it, there’s really not that many. If we have that 3% and want that number to increase, then we need to do better at highlighting them and their accomplishments. Representation also happens by being a role model or someone others can look up to. My youngest sister looks up and sees me doing well in IT and maybe she’ll wonder if that’s something she can do one day too. And, really bringing it back to the community - it’s so important. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with the blog. I’m trying to show other people that window into tech so they can say, “hey, maybe I can do something like that” or “wow, I don’t need to know to code to be in tech.” It’s all about increasing awareness through the community funnels that exist, especially through word-of-mouth which is very big in the Latino community. Even if it’s just talking to your comadres. We need to take advantage of those existing channels and highlight Latinos’ talents. 

When you first joined Cisco, did you have a good support network or did it slowly build up?

When I first started, I sought out that organization (Latino Employer Resource Group) because I had just moved out of my home state and was moving away from family for the first time. I really ran to find a community in the bay area and it was that Latino group. They made it very personable - they set up a lunch date and we ended up talking about the group for a long time and it was a different way for me to get to know the organization and I learned what resources would be available to me. I learned more about the people involved and that really started the snowball effect of it being so many different people within that new support system. Now, I know that if I ever need anything, I could just go to them and ask them anything. Before the pandemic, there were lots of events that we would have. We would see each other on a weekly basis for social events and we would also do volunteering events so that even strengthened the bond of that support system. Thankfully, I’m now able to say that I’m one of the leaders in that organization; I’m hoping to have an impact on all of the new people coming in. 

You’ve been with Cisco for quite some time. How do you keep your motivation at work?

That is really one of the toughest things that I’ve faced, especially with the pandemic going on. Many companies have had a lot of different layoffs and changes to their organization. For me, it’s about understanding myself; I’m someone who needs to constantly be learning things. I’ve signed up for different trainings and talked to my manager about staying on top of things. That keeps my day-to-day looking different at a time when everything’s so uncertain. Doing that has helped a lot and has helped me stay engaged as well. Having that clear communication with my team/manager works because I’ll realize, maybe there’s other projects that I could work on but I won’t know until I start reaching out to the proper channels/resources for that. It just takes a new project to get you excited about something to the point where it might not motivate you more but it can take you out of that slump. 

You wrote an article titled “Don’t quit your job. Quit your manager.” Can you share what inspired you to write it?

Sometimes, we forget that managers don’t have the solutions to all our problems; I got inspired to do this because I remembered a conversation I had with my manager from a few years ago. I said: “How can I be a better employee?” He had told me, “one thing I’ll suggest to you not just for now but for the future of your career is to learn to manage your manager.” He said that if it’s something that you’re able to learn or master, it’ll help you in any job that you have. I ended up asking a couple more questions regarding that because it was such a new concept to me. I have talked to other co-workers/teammates to see what they talk to their managers about one-on-one. I want to know if they’re having these tough conversations and if they’re coming prepared. Are they able to present their accomplishments and keep their managers up-to-date or is it just a casual one-on-one conversation? I think my exploration into that topic really started there. I’m sure there’s at least one other person who hadn’t thought of that at all. Again, it’s coming from that want to help others and educating them on something they may not have thought of before. 

Do your managers know you wrote this article?

I don’t think so! It just got published this morning so I’ll be blasting it on Instagram and sharing it on LinkedIn later this week. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing any feedback that they may give. A lot of those steps I had taken were crucial in me landing my promotion so hopefully they’ll agree with it. 

You provided a lot of great tips on how to create meaningful content and engagement on LinkedIn as well as interview preparation. Why did you decide on sharing these posts about career development?

I think job hunting and career prep is so necessary and a lot of people find themselves missing some of those details or see a gap in that. I figured, I’ve been through that experience and had no prior experience or knowledge, at first I didn’t even know what LinkedIn was. If I was in someone else’s shoes and going through the job hunt or if I’ve just finished high school and am going to college for the first time as a first-gen student, what would I have liked to have known back then? What would have been helpful? Now, because of the posts that I’m making, it gives people a better idea and it starts getting them on a good path so they can succeed in their careers. I was actually updating my own LinkedIn after some time and I had even done a workshop for my co-workers at the time because they also hadn’t updated their LinkedIn profiles in a while. They told me the workshop was really good and that I should share it with other people. That’s when I first thought about sharing this type of content and figured that I might be helping other first-gen students out there. 

This past month, you got candid on your Instagram about rejection. You revealed that you personally had made it to the last round of an interview cycle and you got the dreaded, “thanks but we’re moving forward with other candidates.” You decided to focus on positive elements from that experience instead of dwelling on that moment. What did you learn about yourself following this rejection? And, what advice would you give to others who are still in the thick of the job search process? 

Rejection just sucks in general but I guess it’s a necessary evil in many cases. Recently, I had an interview and it was really the first long interview process that I’ve been a part of since graduating from college. The recruiter reached out to me and thought I’d be a good fit for that position. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up getting the role but from that experience, I really learned to take a step back to see the bigger picture. From then on out, I said to myself, whatever will happen will happen. In that same regard, it was a good learning process and a good takeaway from anything that I do. Yes, I dedicated a lot of energy and time to that interview but it was also a good experience to be able to say, “this is the first time that I’ve ever done a coding interview!” I did a SQL interview and now I’m setting myself up to do the same thing again for the next interviews. It allows me to be prepared and I can pivot my learning and practice for the next one. 

In your opinion, what are some of the mistakes companies make during their interview/vetting process? 

I think the fact that companies are trying to focus on diversity is great. I think that it should be made more transparent. Unfortunately, the vibe that I’ve gotten from certain companies is that their efforts come off more like it’s just a branding campaign. I think their heads are in the right direction but it’s not fully there. I think just having a candid conversation on what the company is doing and how you can be a part of that as a potential employee. And, maybe it’s worth mentioning in an interview that you want to connect with someone who’s a part of those DE&I efforts. With one of the companies that I recently interviewed with, that’s something they did very well and they connected me with someone from that space. I was able to ask tough and honest questions so I know that I’m making a good decision when following through with an interview process. 

You’re originally from Arizona and have grown up with both American and Mexican cultural influences. How has that shaped your views on what it means to be an American? 

I found myself at sort of a crossroads where I’m very proud of the background that I have - the Mexicanness of my parents and the culture associated with that because I think it’s a very colorful and exciting background with amazing food. That’s how I identify with most people. I grew up speaking Spanish technically as a first language at home and learning English at home and during school. In those ways, I feel like being American is great, there are a lot of benefits to it. I identify somewhere in the middle, I’m not fully American because of my Mexican background and being bilingual. I tend to have different experiences from someone who is fully American. I think there’s a lot of strength in that and it’s also pretty special and beautiful in a way because that is sort of highlighting the diversity of thought and the diversity of experiences. I grew up in a city that felt like it was 99.9% Mexican which is much different than someone who had no minorities in their school or city. Being an American is great but there’s a lot more to it and my background shapes it and changes it in a lot of different ways. 

Were there times when you were self-conscious about your heritage or have you embraced it since you were a little kid? 

I didn’t really think much of it because where I’m from, the majority of us were Mexican and most people were speaking Spanish all the time. To me, that was normal, so when I moved to the University of Arizona, I was able to see firsthand that other people didn’t have that similar experience but it was very interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever shied away from it but with the recent treatments of minorities in the states and the dangers that they face, specifically people in Black Lives Matter and with the constant attacks on Asian Americans, I’m a little more selective of when I choose to speak Spanish outside the home. I don’t want someone to yell at me for speaking Spanish but the Bay area is so diverse so thankfully I haven’t come across that. That fear is still there and we need to get to the point where we’re comfortable with being who we are and celebrate our backgrounds.

You’re actively involved in Conexión, Cisco’s Latino Employment Resource Group, as the San Jose chapter leader and you’re a part of Cisco’s Latino Giving Circle Network, a group that is devoted to helping college and high school students access professional development training, while encouraging women to pursue STEM majors. When you speak with students, what are some of the common themes you’re hearing? 

I think my involvement in those groups has been amazing. A common theme within Conexion and with some of the high school students I’m mentoring right now is the need for education to the employers on the backgrounds of the students. One of my student mentees lives in a multi-generational family home where there’s parents, kids, grandparents and sometimes great grandparents. They all have that shared space. At that time, maybe it’s good to educate the employer and say, “hey, they can’t turn on their camera or be talking during the meeting for these reasons.” In some cases, I know some students don’t have access to the internet. I think there’s sort of a gap when it comes to that type of background. I think a lot of education is needed to help them really understand the people that they’re hiring. It’s not just about throwing dollars at it but physically helping too. They can always volunteer or mentor, that’s what I really like about the Giving Circle - yes, we’re throwing money at an organization (Latino nonprofit organizations) but we’re also being hands on with it and going out there to help. 

You recently posted on your Instagram about the importance of taking breaks and you even noted that you’ve been feeling very tired and overwhelmed lately. A lot of people throw out the phrase work life balance but it’s often unrealistic to expect people to be able to shut off immediately after work or cut the work day short. How are you learning to create “harmony” in your life?

I’ve been setting up boundaries, I’m not sure if that’s something a lot of people do or not, or if it’s correct or not. I’ve been setting them because I came to a point where I was so burnt out and I didn’t want to do anything, especially anything work-related. I would work nonstop, I’d wake up at around 7am and work until 11pm - that’s not a good way to be living. I think in that post, I had mentioned that I have limited online conferences and company-wide events to Thursdays and Fridays instead of every single day during the week. It was more about saying no to the work that was coming in just so that I’m able to still respect my time and am also able to disconnect. I still have to do stuff at home so it’s really about giving myself the time to unplug and it’s not always easy or successful, so starting to have that conversation with your team and managers is a good first step. Everyone has been very understanding of it because I think at this point, we’ve all come to recognize that we are more than just our 9-5 work and sometimes that will bleed over into overtime. Some people are raising families, others are writing blog posts or have side projects to do so setting up boundaries is pretty crucial. 

Do you think setting boundaries with COVID is harder or easier? 

I think it’s definitely harder, at least for me when it first started mainly because before, I was going into the office everyday. When I’m at work, I’m at work and that’s all I’m doing. When I came back, I’d unplug. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even take my laptop out of my backpack. Now, my laptop is always open at my desk where I can see it at all times of the day. That’s not healthy either so again, the boundaries coming into play has been very helpful in that regard but it has been a learning process. 

If you were to summarize your message for girls and women in tech/STEM, what would that message be?

Try to do something that you’re interested in, whether it’s arts, math, science, engineering, literally anything. Just try it, you don’t know what that could look like in terms of a career and that’s okay. There are a lot of resources out there, both online resources and people you can talk to who can help guide you and give you some advice as to what that could look like. If you don’t see people who look like you, it may be disappointing and sad, but that’s also an opportunity for you to step up and become that person for other people. It won’t be easy but it will be rewarding. If it’s exciting and something you’re passionate about, then don’t let it stop you from trying it out. 

Were there moments when you felt like you failed and in retrospect, was it a blessing in disguise? 

I definitely think there’s a lot of those. One of those situations came up both in high school and college, where I’d applied to this really large scholarship and didn’t end up getting it. I thought my life was over and thought I wouldn’t be able to go to college. At that point, that’s where my direct support system came through which are my parents and my siblings. They said it just wasn’t meant to be and that’s okay, it was that sort of mentality and phrase. Even my grandma, she has this quote and when you translate it, it says, “don’t feel bad, just get with the program.” That has kept me going because I could feel bad for myself and not do anything but that’s not going to solve anything and that won’t help get me ahead. When I didn’t get that huge scholarship, I was sad but the reality is that there are other scholarships out there. It was the same with college, when I didn’t continue with my architecture program, I thought I had wasted a whole year. I took some time to process all of that but I took a step back and said, “okay, I’m not going through with it but how can I apply it to a different major?” I would say that ended up being one of the best decisions because now I’m involved in so many wonderful groups and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that decision. Things usually have a way of working out. 

Were your parents supportive when you made the decision? 

Yes, my parents have been there rooting for me this entire time. I think from a young age, my parents really pushed my siblings and I to focus on our education and they said they would handle as much as they could. We did face some tough times financially with the recession but we had that luxury to just focus on our education which set us out on a good and strong path moving forward. They’ve been supportive since day one, they’re always there for me which makes a huge difference. If it’s not your parents, try finding another support system, like friends, who can support and root for you. 

What’s your definition of success and what’s your definition of failure?

That’s a really good question. I would say success is something along the lines of you doing something and it having a result that you’re happy with. So, if I’m doing a project at work and I know that I gave it my all and put all my effort into it, then I’m happy with the results. It might change the definition a bit if you’re talking to your team or your manager who have specific requirements. I think if you’re giving it your all, then it is a successful project at that point. Failure is something that isn’t going according to plan and that’s okay but if it isn’t going according to plan, there has to be some lesson that you can see in that failure. I’d always recommend finding a learning point in that failure so it doesn’t get the best of you. If you do pick up something from that experience, hopefully it doesn’t happen again but you can pick yourself up faster the next time and learn from it a little more quickly.