“This is an important part of who we are and what we do.”
October 15th marks the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month. At SER, we held two separate celebrations to mark the occasion. The first was just for SER staff. We took a moment to gather in our Lobby, and CEO, Sheroo Mukhtiar, shared a few words with everyone on the importance of diversity and Hispanic culture in shaping SER’s work. Her final remark to our staff was that taking the time to celebrate diversity “is an important part of who we are and what we do.”
Our second celebration was on a much larger scale. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office hosted their Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast at our Workforce Opportunity Center on October 11th. More information on that event can be found here. Still, ultimately the event was a perfect snapshot of what Hispanic Heritage Month ought to be: a time to examine the interconnectivity of society’s institutions in advancing the prosperity of Hispanic Americans.
Regardless of the events held during this month, Hispanic culture is integral to the makeup of SER. Founded in 1964, SER came to be a result of a partnership between the American GI Forum, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Navy, and the US Department of Labor. SER currently operates to uplift lives and communities through education, employment, and empowerment through a national network of community-based organizations. Given the founding partnership with LULAC, our original goal was to serve Hispanic communities specifically. However, over time, SER Houston has evolved to best suit the needs of our community. Ultimately, SER serves everyone with barriers to employment, not just those with Hispanic backgrounds.
Although, we will never shy away from our roots. “SER” comes from the Spanish verb, “to be.” The spirit of our work will always embody our founding. We work to empower our clients to be whatever they want to be. Like the United States Military Veteran Joslyn Garcia, who, after returning to Houston, pursued our BankWork$ program, or previously incarcerated father, Abel Rosales, who found success in our welding training.
The list of accelerating Hispanic excellence within the Houston community goes on and on. A few examples are…
- Laura Cabriales uplifting herself and her children through our Administration Training.
- David Contreras becoming Vice President of First City Bank.
- Julie Cruz landing her first job.
- Abel Hilario being able to land a job that lets him work towards becoming a submersible engineer.
Hispanic Heritage Month may be ending tomorrow, but our dedication to uplifting Houston’s Hispanic community is as strong as ever. We are thankful for our foundational roots and our legacy of serving such a valuable community within America’s diverse citizenry.