Celebrating Culture: Linda Finds Community in Latino Connection ERG at Dell Technologies

Linda M. | Director, Product Management - IT | Austin, Texas

Originally Published: September 25th, 2023

Background: 

I am a true Austinite. My family moved to Austin when I was five years old because my dad was attending the University of Texas (UT) at Austin Law School. I chose to follow in my dad’s footsteps and also attend UT Austin, but I did not pursue law as writing was never my favorite subject; instead, the College of Engineering made sense for me since I had always loved math and enjoyed my high school internship at Lockheed Martin. 

I kicked off my Dell career in 1999 as a software engineer in Product Group (PG), developing software diagnostics for our servers. After seven years in PG, my career pivoted when I was offered a business analyst role for the Symphony Offline Sales Tool by a previous Director who recognized that my talent and skills could translate into this new role. Forming these relationships and finding mentors is crucial for your career. My business analyst role evolved into a product manager for the Dell.com/Support website and, eventually, leadership positions where I have led teams of program and product managers, user experience (UX) designers, and engineers over the last nine years. As an Austinite, Dell was my dream employer, and it has not disappointed me.

Fun Fact:

My first engineering role was to write software for the US Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) program. Our team developed a portable impact location system that measured the impact success rate. In this role, I had the opportunity to travel off the coast of Florida on a Navy Support ship alongside the submarine, which was outfitted with our hardware and software solution. It was amazing to witness the unarmed missile launch testing our solution.

Experience at Dell:

In January, I volunteered to lead the Latino Connection Employee Resource Group's relationship with our community partner Latinitas. I am a mother of two daughters and witnessed the low representation of women at UT Austin's College of Engineering. I've also often been the only woman on my team- and sometimes, in the room- during my engineering roles at Dell. So, I recognize the importance of Latinitas' mission to empower girls to innovate through technology. They are not only educating girls, but they also provide programs to educate their parents.

I have also taken advantage of many Latino Connection events to celebrate our culture, including cooking classes and Latin Music hours on Fridays. The ERG has also opened the door to meeting other Latino leaders and team members at Dell who are passionate about supporting one another and giving back to our communities.

Anyone starting their career at Dell should take advantage of the many ERGs available. I wish I had done so sooner in my career. Each ERG offers career development opportunities, a support system and opportunities to build lasting relationships. These relationships are often key to removing a roadblock or moving a project forward.

What I Love Most About My Heritage:

My ancestry is Mexican and Spanish. I grew up Mexican American, and what I love most about my culture is our cuisine and dancing. My team here at Dell knows I love Mexican food, and I would be perfectly content eating it every day. I also love Tejano music and dancing. Growing up, I attended many weddings, quinceaneras, and family get-togethers that always had and still have Tejano music. I met my husband 22 years ago at a dance club and only talked to him because he was an awesome dancer.

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