Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Our Lobos: Hispanic & Latino Pack Unity Alliance has been celebrating with several initiatives encouraging the sharing of Hispanic and Latino culture and experiences, featuring events highlighting the different foods, sports, stories of national independence, and heritage of our Hispanic and Latino Pack members.
As part of this celebration, we’re sharing the perspectives and insights of various Hispanic Pack members. Today, we’re speaking to Ambar Hernandez Cisterna, an Office Administrator and member of the Lobos: Hispanic & Latino Pack Unity Alliance.
Tell us about yourself and your role at Arctic Wolf.
My name is Ambar Hernandez Cisterna, I am the Office Administrator (OA) at the Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) office in Ontario, Canada. My role as the OA has a few important components — I work to ensure that security and badge procedures are followed, I resolve facilities team tickets and tasks, I organize our office events, and make sure that the KW office is an inviting and welcoming place for our Pack.
On a personal note, I grew up in Santiago, Chile. I moved to Canada with my mom when I was twelve years old. Though I miss my family and friends in Chile very much, I am grateful for the life we were able to build in KW. It led me to beautiful experiences, great opportunities, and some amazing people.
How has being a part of the Pack helped you grow professionally and personally?
Being a part of the Pack has helped me grow in a lot of ways. Professionally, I have been given the opportunity and support to think outside of the box and be creative with executing whatever task I’m presented with. Feeling supported in making my ideas a reality and being trusted to execute tasks in the way that works most efficiently for me has allowed me to be my best self professionally and has helped me grow quite a bit.
I have also learned more about cybersecurity in the process, which has been beneficial both professionally and personally. It has been great to learn more about how to be safe in the cyber space (in an approachable way) from the experts at Arctic Wolf. It has definitely been positive for my personal life to be able to be at a great workplace where showing up as myself is encouraged and valued.
Ambar Hernandez Cisterna
What do you want your colleagues to take away from Hispanic Heritage Month?
There are a few things that I hope folks take away from Hispanic Heritage Month.
For any Hispanic and Latino/a/e folks, I hope that they’re able to feel some pride for where they come from regardless of their circumstances and whether they were born in a Latin country. Whether they speak Spanish or not. Or if they’re mixed race, or look lighter or darker, I hope they’re able to feel that celebrating one’s culture is a joyous occasion and that everyone can belong. I also hope they understand that it’s never too late to get acquainted with one’s culture and traditions, and that they learn something from another Latin hermano/a/e around the world.
For folks who are outside of the Latin community, I hope they’re able to learn something new. There is a lot of pain in our communities left from colonialism, dictatorships, and social inequalities. At the same time there is a lot of art, music, expression, hope, and joy. I hope they’re able to pay attention to and respect all the things Latin communities are, and not lean into stereotypes. I hope everyone is able to ask questions, learn, and engage with our cultures in a positive way.
How do you relax outside of the office?
I love hanging out with my family and friends. I also love watching TV shows and movies and going for walks with my dog. Listening to audiobooks, reading, coloring, and working on personal projects is also quite relaxing for me.
What’s one thing your colleagues wouldn’t guess about you?
I don’t think my colleagues would guess that I have a decent comic book collection! And that I can always get an impromptu dance party going in my family’s kitchen.
What advice do you have for someone looking to break into the cybersecurity industry?
My advice for someone looking to break into the cybersecurity industry is to connect with other folks who are in the industry and chat with them about what they do in their roles. Attend events in your community that are about cybersecurity.
Arctic Wolf’s mission is quite relatable since we all know of data breaches that have made a negative impact in many industries around the world. Protecting folk’s digital information is crucial in this day and age.
Overall, my advice is to get informed about what the possibilities are, and just go for it!
Finally: What’s your go-to mantra or motto that you take with you in the workplace or throughout life?
I have a few that have stuck with me. “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind” is one of my favorites in any context.
“Speak your mind even if your voice shakes” is another one that I take to heart.
Overall, my attitude is to try to find things that make you smile in whatever situation you’re in, even if you’re not in the best spot — gratitude for what is going well will always fill your cup!
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