Hudl’s Core Values Are More Than Words
When I decided that I was going to be spending my entire summer in Nebraska, I honestly had no idea what my time here would be like. Having grown up as an immigrant in a thoroughly diverse city, I think I was the most worried about leaving the cultural bubble that I am so comfortable in and immersing myself in a city that is similar but also very different from my own. How would people react if I said I was an immigrant? Would I feel excluded — like I just didn’t fit in? If that happened, what was I going to do to make it through the whole summer?
Yes, I was anxious to be in a town where I could palpably feel that I was the minority. I was anxious that I was not going to find a group of people that I felt comfortable with. Most of all, I was anxious that my peers, fellow interns and squad mates were not going to even attempt to understand. Looking back, however, I can say with confidence that Hudl fosters a company culture that is unmatched in its competitive spirit, hospitality and honesty. I am astounded by the friendships I have made and the willingness of the company to listen to my and my fellow interns’ thoughts, regardless of the fact that we were only going to be here for a small amount of time.
It’s common for companies to have core values that they frame up on the wall and look up at once in a while from over their computer screen, but what I think makes Hudl so special is the way they hold the employees accountable for living up to and striving to fulfill them. The core values mean more than just words here, and you can see copious examples of people taking action on them on a daily basis.
Dominate.
We listen.
We’re a family.
We thrive on the front lines.
We’re respectfully blunt.
I learned much more than how to write automation, how Scrum works and what a Software Quality Assurance role is. The core values opened up communication between me and my peers. They taught to be confident in who I am. I am a female Mexican immigrant majoring in Electrical Engineering, and I should not be afraid of my own identity. Rather than treating me as “just another employee” and sweeping my concerns under a rug, I feel that I was able to truly make a difference in my time here. Between meeting with the diversity and inclusion team, hosting chats about women in STEM with my fellow intern class, and collaborating on ways that Hudl could improve diversity and inclusion in the recruitment process, I know I have made an impact on the company.
Inside and outside of work, the people I met changed my life and I am so thankful that I was able to make these memories while developing myself professionally. I could not be more thankful for my fellow intern class for being so welcoming and for pushing me to not stay silent. I am lucky they were there help me grow and have laughs with along the way.
