In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, meet Jose Carlos Rojas
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 Jose Carlos Rojas!
Tell me about yourself – outside of work. What is your favorite hobby or passion?
I use my free time out of the office doing plenty of stuff depending on the season or on what I feel like doing, but I’d say my favorite hobbies are: outdoor activities such as hiking and mountain biking, hanging out with friends, travelling, and getting to know different people. I enjoy a chill afternoon reading or watching a good show as well. Some years ago, I used to be very strict with myself about my habits and ended up more stressed instead of relaxing, so now I’m learning to enjoy life and my primary focus is having a healthy balance.
What you do within Avangrid?
I am part of the Commercial Services department within Onshore Operations; my main responsibility is to oversee the performance of main suppliers at our onshore facilities. This position is very interesting for me. I have the opportunity to work on a day-to-day basis with experts from Avangrid’s Field Operations and Engineering Teams, and from the suppliers as well. I am in a privileged place where I can analyze and learn from different angles about the complexity of renewables operations and contribute to maintaining and improving the excellence in our company’s operations.
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?
I’d say it’s my curiosity and transparency. I enjoy understanding how or why things happen, and I’ve found that in life it is always better to be transparent than not (even when reality is not in your favor). These two traits (curiosity and transparency) have been very useful so far in my career. In my current position, when I have to manage certain situations with a supplier or with my internal fellows or supervisors, being curious encourages me to have at least a broad understanding of things before jumping to actions or conclusions. Communicating sincerely, both internally and externally, prevents miscommunication and misunderstandings and makes your work easier.
What is your heritage or cultural background? What is your favorite aspect of that?
I was born and raised in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico. Both of my parents come from poor families and were the first ones of their families to get a college degree; I was very lucky to land in my family. Having the opportunity to see my parents start from scratch and take care of me and my brother and sister the way they did makes me realize the potential people have when there is an honest commitment. I think this is the most relevant highlight of my heritage. When I think about it, it is hard for me to believe how our family has progressed and how well the three of us are doing. Hard work and honesty pay off in the end.
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?
I worked for Iberdrola Mexico from February 2015 to March 2023, so I moved to start working at Avangrid very recently. I’m practically new in town, but I do feel that I 100% belong here at Avangrid. I think something that Avangrid does very well is how welcome they make you feel. During my first two weeks, I remember how willing everybody was to talk to me and learn about me and my background, inviting me to all the formal and informal meetings and events, and introducing me to everyone. I think it does not matter where you come from. At least in my experience, I can say people treat you the same way here at Avangrid and we should encourage that.
Who or what inspires you?
I love the stories of people who start from practically zero and manage to do well in life while being honest. I don’t necessarily have examples of famous or rich people that inspire me, but I could name lots of people that I met in college and high school (both teachers and students), relatives, and people that I’ve met during my professional career, that have. Something they all have in common is that, against all odds, they started from the bottom and now, due to hard work, are living and enjoying a rich and healthy balanced life.
