Hispanic Heritage Month Employee Spotlight: Andres Cabada

According to Hispanic Heritage Month’s website, “each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.” To honor this incredible month, Investis Digital would like to highlight some of our employees who are of Hispanic and Latino descent.

In today’s post we’re spotlighting some insights from Andres Cabada, a Graphic Designer at Investis Digital. Andres shares, “I have been part of the design team at Investis Digital for one year so far. I help clients with their design projects whether it be eBooks, banner ads, infographics, or web graphics. I collaborate with various departments throughout Investis to provide our clients with outstanding/functional/high performance design.”

Andres graciously answered six questions about his career, life, and heritage for us—here’s a little bit more about him in his own words:

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

Hispanic Heritage month means a celebration of cultures, from Spain to Mexico and any Spanish speaking country/persons. I relish in how the country recognizes our Hispanic descent and honors our ancestors, in a sense, for coming to America, as many other nationalities have done as well.

My parents taught me the beautiful culture of Mexico growing up and I plan to pass that onto my children as well. I want to pass down the culture of icons like Selena and Pedro Infante, and of historical influences like Pancho Villa & Emiliano Zapata, and, of course, the food culture of tacos, tortas, and enchiladas. There is so much to pass down.

Who would you say was your greatest influence for your career?

I was influenced by many artists, so it’s hard to say which one was the most influential. Growing up I was influenced by local artists such as Lalo Cota and El Mac, graffiti artists who are well known throughout the city for their commissioned murals of Hispanic culture.

Art of Lalo Cota

Art of El Mac

Art of El Mac

What advice would you give to young Latino professionals who are looking to get into the digital communications space?

As a seasoned designer I would encourage any Hispanic professionals who are interested in digital communications to dive head-first if the opportunity arises. The industry needs more representation from our Hispanic brothers and sisters, as our communication styles and our rich artistic heritage can become a key resource for the future of our country, as it heads towards a Hispanic/Latino majority.

In your opinion, what challenges remain for Hispanic Americans today and how can understanding history help us to overcome them?

Racial discrimination is still a problem and speaking out against it is the first step. Aside from that, I think that we’re headed in the right direction, as more Hispanics have a college degree today than any other time in American history, but our voice needs more representation. America is a nation of immigrants and that’s what makes this a great place to live, and as history has shown when you discriminate against people, you only create division and hate.

What are some of your proudest achievements at Investis Digital?

During my time here at Investis Digital, I’m most proud of the many projects I’ve had the opportunity to work on. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a variety of clients and tasks, from infographics to banner ads, and more. These projects have given me the chance to use new applications like Google Web Designer and Adobe After Effects; applications that I had not used or utilized much in the past.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I was a surgical tech for seven years treating people for skin cancer before I transitioned my career to design full-time.

Join Our Team

At Investis Digital, we are always looking to hire a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds. If you’re interested in exploring a career with us, learn more here. And make sure to read the rest of our Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlights!