How Identity Has Influenced a Client Success Manager's Career at Watermark Insights
Daniel, a Latino Client Success Manager in the underrepresented male Latino demographic of the edtech industry, found mentorship and career advancement through connecting with other Latino leaders in diverse Austin industries; this external network provided valuable role models and insights, proving "great to connect with other individuals who look like me" and offering a path to success despite limited representation within their own company.
Mentorship, Networking, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Daniel Zarazua
Client Success Manager
Watermark Insights
The University of Texas at Austin, 2012
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Masters in Education, Curriculum and Instruction
Legal & Policy, Anthropology, Sociology
Education
Sales and Client Management
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Finding mentors and role models who share a similar background can provide valuable guidance and support in navigating a career path.
2. Networking and building relationships with professionals from diverse industries and backgrounds can open doors to new opportunities and perspectives.
3. Companies often have DEI initiatives to increase diversity in leadership; however, representation of diverse groups in leadership roles may still be limited and is an area where improvement is needed. This is true even in organizations with strong DEI initiatives.
Transcript
As someone who's Latino, how has that impacted how you navigate your career?
That's a great question. Being Latino in the edtech space, there aren't many male or female Latinos in my current company.
We focus a large portion of DEI initiatives on increasing and fostering diversity, but even within my company, we don't often see that in leadership. What has been helpful for me in my career is being part of a professional and social organization outside of my company here in Austin, Texas.
There, I interact with other city leaders in different industries. It's there that I can connect with other Latino leaders, whether they're in law, business, tech, or education. It's been great to connect with individuals who look like me and may share similar cultural experiences, even if their industry is different.
This helps me propel my career by learning from their experiences and having role models who show me success. They've had similar experiences but are thriving in their respective industries. So, even though it's not my specific organization or industry, I'm still connecting with Latino leaders across Austin in different fields who are great mentors for me.