Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Three Gifts from My Journey

By Miriam Paris, NA Strategic Business Lead, Regional Crops for NA Commercial, Crop Science, Bayer U.S. and National Co-Chair of Unidos, Bayer Latin Business Resource Group

As we recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 — Oct. 15) in the U.S., I can’t help but think about the reasons I am proud of my heritage and how it has helped shape who and where I am today.

I was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the states at a very young age to follow my father’s education and career. I made my first friend in Dallas. As we played with our dolls, she spoke in English, I spoke in Spanish and my poor brother got to translate. If you are like me, and grew up living away from “home,” then you know your vacations become a pilgrimage back to your family, culture and roots.

While the distance itself is hard, it’s even more difficult when you consider you’re growing up without your cousins and extended family. That’s why the return trip home always feels good. But, as I reflect on my experiences, way beyond what I have shared here, I would change absolutely nothing.

My journey and culture gave me a few “gifts” I want to celebrate during this Hispanic Heritage Month.

Managing Change: We all learn how to manage change somehow, but for me it was as a 5-year-old uprooted from her comfort zone. Even as I go through change as an adult, I stick to my simple learnings from that experience: anchor on the constants and believe the outcome will be amazing.

Adaptability: We all adapt to new circumstances. For me it was a different language, food and weather. You know the famous phrase, “When in Rome…”? It is the key to quick adaptation. I discovered it is all about finding your new normal and loving the new routine or ritual.

Acceptance: This is a hard one. Accepting differences from what you know and love isn’t always easy, but it is important and what sets you apart. I remember jumping into my new life and looking for the common links while celebrating differences and evolving into something new and better. This was such a strong lesson and part of what drove me to become a geneticist. The idea of taking two totally different things and making something better by simply combining the differences was fascinating.

Today I co-lead the national Unidos Latin Business Resource Group at Bayer U.S. We strive to be a vibrant community that adds value to our organization and our members while celebrating our culture and its contribution to our business success. Our organization focuses on furthering career development, celebrating our rich culture, improving our local communities and supporting our commercial business and customers. We are an employee-led volunteer organization doing meaningful work and getting results that truly drive business success. In fact, just recently we were recognized by Latina Style Magazine as one of the Top 50 Employers for Latina Women in the U.S.

Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are voluntary, company sponsored groups of employees who work together to promote cultural diversity, awareness and education and are key partners in Bayer’s efforts to cultivate an inclusive environment and to engage employees around critical Inclusion & Diversity objectives.

As I reflect on the “gifts” I’ve been given through my life, I can see many of them linked to diversity and inclusion. I am richer because of the lessons and skills I’ve learned from others. I am proud to be part of a company that encourages collaboration through diverse viewpoints and experiences. This Hispanic Heritage Month, I celebrate the contributions of my fellow Hispanic/Latin colleagues and look forward to more to come.