What Hispanic Heritage Means to GMMB

GMMB is once again proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, we share the stories of our team members, whose lives demonstrate the richness of Hispanic histories, cultures and contributions. Join us as we honor these contributions, work to elect candidates who value diversity, and fight to defend DACA.

Johanny Adames, Account Executive  

Dominican-American

“For me, being Hispanic or Latina means having a deep appreciation of my background, my family and my community. It means being multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-racial. It means música—a lot of music.”

Patricia Clemente, Assistant Account Executive

Cuban/Colombian

“I was born and raised in Miami, which we all know has a large Hispanic community. When I moved to DC, I missed hearing people speak Spanish, I missed the food, I missed the culture, and I felt sort of isolated. But I took that as an opportunity to use my culture, something that I’m so proud of, as a way to meet new people and teach them about what makes me who I am. Being Hispanic gives me confidence to achieve anything because I know I will always have such a large support system—even if that support system is far away.”

Gino García, Senior Account Executive

Mexican-American

“My heritage is my inability to not dance when I hear music. It’s the look on people’s faces when I tell them I’m Mexican and hearing back, ‘But you don’t look Mexican.’ (Well, I am Mexican and this is what I look like.) Jokes aside, my heritage is feeling and knowing that I’m part of a much larger, diverse community that has made my life so much more vibrant. I celebrate my heritage with the fire of 10,000 Selena Quintanilla songs!”

Melissa Morales, Vice President

Bolivian/Cuban

“The funny thing about Hispanic heritage is that it means different things to different people. There is no single Hispanic culture; Hispanic people come from all kinds of diverse backgrounds. I’m a mix myself—Bolivian and Cuban—and I consider myself lucky to have experienced distinct foods, music, languages and history over the course of my life. I have a greater appreciation for the value of diversity and how lucky we are to live in a country that brings hundreds of cultures together.”

Laura Orozco, Copywriter

Mexican-American

“More than anything, my Hispanic heritage has given me respect, admiration and empathy for immigrants in this country. My grandparents on my dad’s side were Mexican immigrants, and they worked tirelessly to give their kids a life full of promise, a life without ceilings or boundaries. My dad worked just as hard for me and my siblings, and I’m so grateful for his determination and sacrifice, because it paved a path for me to achieve anything I set my mind to. This is the story of millions of immigrant families across the U.S. and across the world. It’s a story that I’m really proud to be a part of.”

Valentina Pérez, Assistant Account Executive

Venezuelan/Colombian

“I was born in Venezuela and lived there until I was six years old. As a result, Hispanic culture has played and continues to play a large part in my family life—from speaking Spanish with my relatives to singing the obnoxiously long Venezuelan birthday song at family parties to vouching for arepas when debating the best Hispanic food with friends. My Hispanic heritage also influenced my interest in politics. Seeing and hearing about the political turmoil in Venezuela reinforced the importance of democracy and civic engagement for me, and it prompted me to become more involved in politics and advocating for Latinos in the U.S.”

Greg Pinelo, Partner/Chief Content Officer

Cuban-American

“To me, being Cuban-American is about patriotism and love of our country—the country that took my father in at the age of 16 after he fled Cuba speaking no English. He became a college professor and raised a son who played a part in electing the first black president, who then re-opened relations with Cuba. Literally, only in America!”

Christopher Shannon, Lead Creative Technologist

Mexican-American

“My Hispanic heritage has always been a part of me, so I can’t imagine my life any other way. It means family and community; it means a lot of pride in art, food and storytelling. It means relating to people differently—being part of a cultural tapestry where we are all different but, because of that, all the same.”

Jaime Zapata, Partner

Colombian

“I don’t have a short answer to this question, so I wrote a post on Medium. Check it out and let me know what you think!”

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From all of us at GMMB, Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Interested in joining our diverse and growing team? Check out our open positions in Washington, DC and Seattle today.