Celebrating tu cultura.

On today’s edition of Up To Speed, we’re celebrating the upcoming start of Hispanic Heritage Month and thanks in part to our SOMOS Employee Resource Group we have so much to look forward to.

In case you didn’t know, Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th and there are plenty of ways to get involved throughout the month, but here are a few events that you can’t afford to miss:

• October 2: Our SVP of Talent and Diversity Christina Schelling will be moderating SOMOS’s main event, a conversation amongst industry leaders from other top companies – they’ll be sharing how they’ve leveraged their Hispanic culture while removing limiting beliefs throughout their careers. This event will be live in Basking Ridge, but don’t worry, there’s watch parties happening at multiple offices across the country, and you can always tune in virtually.
• October 15: SOMOS Executive Sponsor Vandana Venkatesh will lead a virtual panel featuring Latino leaders from around the business. This’ll be an intimate conversation with leaders sharing personal stories about "growing up Latino" and the cultural impact of their community on their careers.

In addition to the events happening during Hispanic Heritage Month, SOMOS is partnering with BOLD and Soles4Souls to encourage V Team volunteers to help the environment by donating gently used shoes and also uplift people in developing countries by writing letters of encouragement.

This is an in-person event only, with the following locations hosting for drop-offs:

• If you are local to our Garden City location, you can drop off with Amy Estevez.
• If you are local to our Basking Ridge location, you can drop off with Joe Nieves.
• If you are local to our Hidden Ridge location, you can drop off with Tatiana Escobedo Lankford.

Soles4Souls accepts all styles and sizes of new or gently-worn shoes. When you donate shoes, you’re caring for the planet and changing someone’s life.

Be on the lookout for the volunteer newsletter hitting your inboxes next week, with lots more events, both in-person and virtual.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Verizon is also proud to be launching Textspañol – a first, one-of-a-kind resource of Spanish textspeak. Textspañol can help you level up your “HLA” and “salu2” game and learn new, relevant Spanish phrases to connect with Spanish-speaking loved ones in a culturally-relevant way. To participate and learn more about Textspañol, click here.

Last but not least, we have an exciting contest to share: Attention soccer lovers, do you think you have what it takes to be like “Mr. Gol” Andres Cantor? Well, this is your chance to show us what you’ve got! Submit your video of your best “Goooool!” for a chance to win Verizon swag. Winners will have an opportunity to win in three categories: Longest “Gooool” in a single breath, best dramatic interpretation and excitement. The contest runs from September 17th through October 1st with winners announced on October 15th.

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

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