We'd like to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month by spotlighting our Latinx Doximity employees. This week, we interviewed Dom Romero, Product Designer from Oakland, California.
What does being Latinx/Latine/Latina/Latino mean to you?
The best words to describe what being Latino means to me are family, love, food, and hard work. I could not have accomplished what I have in my life without the support and life lessons my family and culture have taught me.
As a fourth-generation Hispanic American, I was shielded for most of my life from many of the hardships and challenges my family members faced when they first entered this country. I didn’t learn about these hardships until my teenage years when my family began sharing their history. My parents shared that speaking Spanish was frowned upon in their school system. My Uncles and Aunts were physically punished by their teachers growing up if they were caught speaking Spanish at school. I later learned that my grandparents dealt with segregation during their childhood. They had to avoid most businesses & only shopped & ate on their side of town at Hispanic-owned businesses. Having learned about my family's history, I understand how fortunate I have been growing up, that I could openly participate in cultural activities without feeling different.
I have always felt proud of my family heritage. I grew up in Albuquerque New Mexico where Latinos were not a minority. This diversity allowed me to feel confidence and pride in who I was. Both my parents and grandparents come from very large and loving families. Family events were always filled with delicious homemade Mexican food, lots of dancing, and good times.
What does workplace allyship look like to you?
Workplace allyship to me, means teamwork, support, and mentorship. I’ve been lucky in my career to have had great mentors that have helped me develop skills and extended opportunities for me to speak up and have my voice heard. I think it is important that we continue to recognize each other for the diverse and unique contributions each of us makes to our team. It is crucial that we continue to build relationships that extend outside of our everyday routine and that we make a strong effort to help one another achieve success.
How are you taking care of yourself during challenging times?
Keeping up with the 24-hour news cycle this year was exhausting, yet I found it important to stay engaged with social justice issues and researching and donating to non-profits that were helping people during the pandemic. I found that the best way to take care of myself was to strike a balance between staying informed while also creating time for myself and my family.
During the last year, I was reminded that simple things can bring lots of joy and happiness. Most days, to relieve stress, I would go on hikes with my wife and our dog Duke. We enjoyed exploring our neighborhood using a book called Secret Stairs of Eastbay.
I did my best to maintain a positive work-life balance and learned a lot about the importance of mental health and self-care.
How does your Latine/x heritage influence your professional or work life?
My family all sacrificed so they could make life better for the next generation. My grandmother was 7 years old when her dad died and had to quit school to work the cotton fields to help support her 10 siblings. My Grandfather had a similar story and quit school when he was 10 years old to work on the farm to help support his 7 siblings. My parents learned from this the value of education and determination and always worked hard to provide for my brother and me.
Like many other Latin children, my parents brought us to work with them when we were young. We were able to see firsthand the value of teamwork and a strong work ethic. I feel these qualities greatly influence my approach to my professional life.
How does your Latine/x heritage influence your professional or work life?
I do believe that Doximity engages in and prioritizes diversity and inclusion. I feel well supported by leadership and have developed life-long friendships with many of my colleagues. I am grateful that my work is utilized and thankful to work on a product that helps people.
We're always hiring and we'd love to hear from you! See our open positions across all departments, including Product, Engineering and Finance.