Vanessa Gongora has faced a challenge that’s all too common for first-generation Americans: finding a balance between assimilation and authenticity. Born the daughter of Colombian immigrants in Queens, New York, the marketing professional says this push and pull influenced her career greatly and taught her valuable lessons along the way. “I’ve kind of been, for better or worse, a master of assimilation in corporate America,” Gongora said.
“Even though I was in New York City, the only women of color I saw in those spaces were in secretarial or mailroom positions.” Over time, she realized her lived experience as a Latina woman is just as or even more valuable as the years spent proving herself in the corporate world. Embracing this mindset helped Gongora evolve into the fierce advocate for the Latino community and Spanish language access that she is today.
Exploring identity Gongora’s mother worked as a waitress for 40 years and instilled the value of hard work and education in her daughter. Being surrounded by the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants in her neighborhood, she saw New York City as a land of opportunity. Gongora put everything into her work with a goal of making her mother proud, and it paid off.
She found success in marketing for magazines, climbing the ladder quickly to manage big-name brand accounts such as L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble. After getting laid off from a Forbes luxury concept that folded in six months, she came face to face with the.