Meet Stryker's Hispanic/Latinx Network
At Stryker, we value people. One way we ensure our people feel supported both personally and professionally is through our nine employee resource groups (ERGs). ERGs create spaces for people to learn about and celebrate a diverse array of backgrounds and traditions all while connecting with others and building their network. Not only do our ERGs contribute to fostering an engaged workforce, but they are also a lot of fun to be a part of! Learn more about how Stryker’s Hispanic/Latinx Network (SOMOS) coordinates and hosts exciting employee engagement events!
Fast Facts about Stryker's Hispanic/Latinx Network (SOMOS):
Mission: To promote cultural diversity, the professional development of members, and an inclusive environment for all. SOMOS celebrates diversity while advocating for the Hispanic/Latinx community.
Founded: The first SOMOS chapter was established in 2017! Fast forward a few years, there are now ten SOMOS chapters across the Americas.
Where to find SOMOS: SOMOS is comprised of eight regional chapters in the United States and two additional chapters located in Costa Rica and Chile. SOMOS membership is available to all employees whether they work onsite, in the field, or remotely.
About SOMOS
Stryker’s Hispanic /Latinx Network was formed in 2017 by a group of passionate employees who saw a need for an ERG with a focus on Hispanic/Latinx culture. As a sign of unity among its members, the group adopted the name SOMOS which means “We are” in Spanish.
In response to Stryker's overall diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives as well as the success of the Mahwah and Kalamazoo SOMOS chapters, there was a clear desire for maximizing the voices of SOMOS on a national level. SOMOS has expanded to ten chapters across the United States and Latin America, and also has the support of a National Steering Committee.
Fun fact: SOMOS recently hosted their first Leadership Forum which brought
together key leaders from each chapter to discuss, plan and prepare for the
growth and success of SOMOS.
Fostering inclusivity at Stryker
SOMOS actively works to advocate and promote the growth of its members through investment in education and bringing awareness of topics that inspire employees to drive the success of their own careers. Through these efforts, SOMOS empowers inclusive collaboration across Stryker. While the impact that SOMOS members are making spans far and wide across our organization, we thought we would highlight a few of their many activities:
Prioritizing development: One of SOMOS’ main priorities is to develop talent. SOMOS plays an active part in sharing tools and resources to empower members to grow personally and professionally. A few of these activities include:
Live virtual training sessions: These interactive workshops educate members on best practices for building an individual development program.
Self-paced training modules: Members are encouraged to explore Stryker’s robust development portal to identify and leverage the online training to sharpen their skillset and set themselves up for success.
Advocating for talent: The SOMOS community recognizes the importance of leveraging leadership influence to advocate for the advancement of its members.
Highlighting Hispanic Heritage: Celebrating the backgrounds and traditions of its members is at the core of SOMOS’ mission. One of the many ways SOMOS highlights Hispanic heritage is through its Spotlight Series. Each month a SOMOS member is highlighted as a Hispanic/Latinx culture champion and an excellent Stryker role model. The spotlight topics could include the member’s career development experience, navigation of personal and professional challenges in underrepresented populations and/or the importance of championing the Hispanic/Latinx experience.
Celebrating cultural events: Who doesn’t love a good celebration? Whether it be Carnaval or Cinco de Mayo, SOMOS makes time to celebrate! In 2023 chapters across the United States hosted salsa/papaya salad contests, taco parties and even had live music to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. In addition to all the excitement, SOMOS created and shared internally an informational article on the historical background of Cinco de Mayo.
It's through these efforts SOMOS brings together employees with unique perspectives and backgrounds to exchange ideas and thoughts to create an inclusive community at Stryker.
What SOMOS means to the Stryker team
“Participating in SOMOS has enabled me to share some of my cultural background with co-workers of other diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as the opportunity to learn from and interact with other leaders with similar backgrounds who have navigated successful careers at Stryker.” – Eddie G. | Chapter President | SOMOS |United States
“My goal is when an up-and-coming Hispanic professional sees me, they see themselves and think they can be successful within Stryker. Though we may not realize it, we have an opportunity to impact how our own communities perceive success.” – Jesse R. | Chapter President | SOMOS | United States
“Being part of the Hispanic community, I’ve heard countless stories about the challenges that Hispanic individuals had to face when moving to a different country and facing a language barrier. However, it is fascinating and inspiring how these individuals faced these challenges, overcame them and were able to fulfill their dreams. I believe SOMOS is a platform that allows people to share those stories, inspire others and share growth opportunities within the organization.” - Christina E. | Founding Member | SOMOS | United States
“My focus is to live the mission and strategy for DE&I that I believe. Create an employee network in which we can learn from each other, share ideas and express ourselves as a Hispanic/Latinx community. At the same time, be completely open to welcoming more diversity into the group. People who are interested in the culture, either to learn or because they have an affinity to it.” – Hugo H. | Chapter President | SOMOS | United States
Learn more about Stryker and our culture by joining our talent network.
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