In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, meet Luzy Avila-Nieves
Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place September 15 – October 15, is a time to recognize and celebrate the myriad histories, cultures, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latin community. At the helm of the festivities is the ¡HOLA! business resource group.
As we celebrate this special month, we will be meeting different members of the group.
This week, meet Luz (better known as “Luzy”) Avila-Nieves, who serves as the membership coordinator for ¡HOLA!
Tell me about yourself – outside of work. What is your favorite hobby or passion?
I am a mom of 3 amazing adults as well as 3 adorable Puggle puppies. For the past few years, my hobby has been officiating weddings. Being a Beekeeper for the past 12 years has been my passion.
What you do within Avangrid?
As a United Illuminating Interconnection Services Project Support Analyst, my primary role is validating payments received for interconnection applications, meter fees, etc. which involves coordinating all fees received throughout the interconnection process. The key to my role is to ensure we meet our regulatory obligations to enable efficient interconnection application processing. My role directly contributes to the interconnection and energization of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) assets throughout the UI distribution network.
When you come to work at Avangrid each day, what is the most authentic (real, bold, unique) part of yourself that you bring to work?
When I walk through the doors each day, I try to bring a kind-heartedness to work. I learned long ago the power of a smile, saying “good morning” or a simple “hello” can make the difference to another coworker’s day. If we can all be benevolent to each other, imagine how much better our day could be.
What is your heritage or cultural background? What is your favorite aspect of that?
I am Spanish and Puerto Rican. I am so fortunate to grow up with two rich cultures. My Spanish heritage is considered old world with a mixture of Irish, Morisco- Andalusian flare. The flavorful foods, the vibrant Flamenco dancing, and the music that tells the folkloric songs that vary from sadness to deep passion give me the deep roots of my family history. My Puerto Rican heritage that consists of a mixture of indigenous Taino Indian, Nigerian, and Spanish ancestors. The focus of song, dance, and food help express the Puerto Rican culture’s cheerfulness. No matter how bad things are Puerto Ricans are resilient. Don’t take my word for it; just look at them during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and how they pressed forward with no power for almost 1 year!
DE&I is the common term, but what about the B – belonging? How do you view belonging at Avangrid, and what are steps you would like to see taken to improve?
When I think of belonging, I like to also think it goes hand in hand with being valued. If we feel that the talents we bring are being valued then we get the sense we belong. As the HOLA Membership Coordinator I enjoy seeing the talents of my coworkers and seeking them out to be a part of our BRG. We want them to know they do belong and add value to our group. We have so much to learn from each other and celebrate along the way as we foster those relationships with our colleagues and in our organization.
Who or what inspires you?
My mama inspires me. She always made sure we understood the importance of community. We would do family volunteer summers, whether we helped with clean-ups, soup kitchens, or the local nursing homes. My mama made sure my siblings and I all took time to understand that we took care of our community one place or person at a time. We always had a guest at our dinner table. Everyone who walked through the door was asked if they wanted a plate of food. My mom always was ready with extra sandwiches for friends who came over while we were playing outside or a pitcher of orange juice for us to share with the neighborhood kids after a round of kickball. She is humble, selfless, and caring. She leads by example and that makes me want to try to be better each day as well.
