While celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, we spoke with Stride’s Senior Product Designer, Nelson Hernandez Arteaga, about how his Venezuelan heritage and strong family values shaped him into the product designer he is today.

Nelson, can you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, which is a very diverse city. It is one of the places where there is a little bit of everything. Growing up, I went to a hybrid (Venezuelan and French) elementary and middle school, which gave me a lot of exposure to a diverse group of kids. After finishing high school, I moved to Barbados to learn English, and I stayed there for about a year and a half. There were about 15 kids from Venezuela there with me. At first, I was spending a lot of time with them, and I remember thinking, “You guys are great, but I really want to learn the language and the culture.” So I made the effort to spend more time with people from the island and work on learning the language and culture on my own. 

After my time in Barbados, I went back to Venezuela for college. I have a minor degree in recording engineering, and from that, I wanted to get into motion graphics, which paved the path for me going to film school in Orlando, Florida, where I obtained two associates of science degrees in Film Production and Digital Media Arts from Full Sail University. After college, I landed a job as an Interaction Designer at a video post-production studio of Universal Studios, and I found my way to San Francisco. I knew then I wanted to design digital products, so I thought I better move to Silicon Valley to do this. 

In the meantime, my mom also moved to the US with my brother. Given the political situation in Venezuela, the rest of my family ended up leaving the country. I have family living in Atlanta, Miami, El Salvador, Panama, and Buenos Aires. 

I come from a huge family: four aunts and uncles, 15 cousins, my mom, and my brother. We always love to be together and do everything together. A typical vacation with my family would be at least 30 people—we’d go to the beach together, we’d rent three houses right next to each other, and we’d show up to restaurants expecting them to accommodate all of us at once: fun chaos. 

My favorite Venezuelan food is arepas. Venezuelans (or at least my family) usually eat arepas at least once a day, either for breakfast or for dinner. It’s a staple. They’re really easy to make, and you can put whatever you want in them. I try to make arepas at least once a week for my kids. I have two wonderful kids, Theo, who is 12, and Ella, who is 10. My partner, Corey, has two kids from her previous marriage, Eli, who is 15, and Hazel, who is 12, so life is very fun and busy these days.

Who were your role models growing up?

If you could imagine a New Yorker Latin woman with strong values and a stronger personality and will, that’s my mom. She’s a role model for so many people in life. Even though we’re physically separated, I talk to her once a day. 

My other role model was my dad. He always told me to be proud of myself and to embrace who I am. I have a very wide perspective of the world, and my dad always made a point to remind me to embrace those experiences.

Music played a huge influence in my life growing up as well. I got really into “Rock en Español,” which consists of a lot of punk music. It led me down a path to be a rebel of the house and being the black sheep of the family, but the culture influenced and shaped me into who I am.

What advice would you give to other Hispanic Americans looking to start their career in Product Design?

Everything you do, do with persistence and dedication. When I moved to the United States, the language barrier was a big challenge. I always had to go the extra mile in order to get my point across and to deliver top-notch work. If you love what you do and you’re persistent, you’ll succeed.

As someone who comes from a different culture, we have a unique perspective that we can bring to the table. For me, I try to make a point to empathize with my audience as much as possible. It makes you more adaptable. Relate to your audience—when you’re presenting or speaking about your work, try to make a point to connect with your audience and your users. 

Be willing to listen and learn from others. Living in a diverse city like San Francisco, it’s a melting pot. Embrace diversity. Bring who you are to the table—it’s such a unique environment to be in, so take advantage of the diversity around you, too.

Lastly, for junior designers, try to attend meetups and networking events—it’s always good to see what others are doing and to meet new people. Continue your education. There are always courses, technology, and new things to learn. Find a mentor and someone who can coach you throughout your career. Right now, I’m mentoring two designers that I meet with once a month. If you’re a junior designer and you read this, feel free to reach out to me.

How has your heritage shaped who you are today?

I can adapt to anything, whatever it may be. I would also say that Venezuelans are very passionate—how we write, how we speak, everything. Whether it’s at work or home, I bring that passion.

Were there any challenges that you’ve faced because of your Venezuelan heritage?

At the beginning, the language barrier was hard to overcome, but now I feel comfortable with it. My accent is a very unique accent, but I feel more comfortable and confident than I used to.

Another challenge was understanding pop culture in the United States. When I’m at a gathering and a pop culture reference is brought up, I find myself having to catch up with culture references.

Lastly, Hispanic culture is so large—South America is a huge continent, and every country has its own culture and heritage. I kind of struggle with that a little bit, in terms of the generalization of the term “Hispanic” or “Latinx.”

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

To me, it’s a reminder of how lucky we are in terms of the opportunities we have and the connections we have with one another. I understand the intent and meaning behind Hispanic Heritage Month, but honestly, we should be celebrating every day.

What makes you most proud of your heritage?

So many things—I would say family values is #1 and deeply caring about my family, friends, and those around me. Food is second, and there are so many great musicians. Venezuelan music scene is very diverse.

Why did you choose to work at Stride?

Stride’s mission is critical for me. It really resonates with me. I’ve had family that has recently moved to Atlanta to seek asylum; back home they were business owners and lawyers. When they moved to the US, they got started by being an Uber or Lyft driver. A lot of my work is helping people who are trying to do what they can to put food on the table. Whether they’re going through a career change or adapting to a new culture, or are doing gig work as a side hustle, I’m able to help people achieve their financial goals and get better access to healthcare.

I’ve been working in healthcare and FinTech for quite awhile, and being able to work at a company that combines those two aspects that benefits members in a meaningful way is what attracted me to Stride. Working at Stride is so rewarding, we’re helping to improve other people’s lives every day. The people here are also so diverse—when I walk into a meeting, I know everyone is eager to hear what everyone else has to say. Everyone at Stride is super approachable.

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

As of late, I am learning how to surf with my son. I also love bicycles, I can talk about bicycles all day long. Although, to be honest, I need to get back and start riding again.

I used to DJ back in the day, but now my DJ career has evolved to be the DJ at my kids’ school dances. I collect records, too, and I spend a lot of time with my two children!

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Nelson!

Want to work with Nelson to help everyone get their own affordable benefits? We’re hiring!