Photo By Joseph Bullinger | 220321-N-GB257-001 N. Charleston, SC (March 21, 2022) Members of Naval Information...... read more read more
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Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic’s Hispanic/Latin Employment Team (HLET) was presented a League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Excellence in Public Service Award July 28 during a ceremony at the 93rd LULAC National Convention and Exposition in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The LULAC Excellence in Public Service Award recognizes Department of Defense (DoD) personnel for excellence in public service in the advancement of education, economic, health and diversity accomplishment, particularly within underrepresented populations of the nation.
“Winning the LULAC Excellence in Service Award helps maximize NIWC Atlantic’s overall mission effectiveness by recognizing members' accomplishments and contributions to civil rights and equal opportunity in minority communities and Partnership in Education programs,” said Bruce Carter, head of NIWC Atlantic’s Shore Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Integration Department and long-standing champion of the HLET.
“The HLET has uniquely distinguished itself by promoting the tenets of civil/human rights, equal opportunity, human relations and public service, and displayed exceptional character that distinguishes the HLET as an outstanding STEM awareness role model for the command, for the Department of Navy (DON) and for DoD,” Carter said.
Made up of employees who rank from new professionals to senior executives that come from all facets of the organization, including finance, logistics, engineering, and corporate operations, the HLET won the LULAC Award for spearheading diversity-based initiatives and educational events fostering Hispanic/Latino cultural appreciation and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce, said Kathryn Murphy, senior scientific technical manager for NIWC Atlantic’s Software Engineering and HLET co-champion.
“Part of the purpose of the HLET is to positively impact the NIWC workplace by cultivating the pipeline of Latino talent and providing Latino professionals the insight, access and support to be successful in their careers,” Murphy said. “Because HLET supports the hiring, advancement, and retention of NIWC Atlantic’s Hispanic/Latino workforce, the team also made great strides in its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) outreach to the community, encouraging today’s Hispanic/Latino students to consider pursuing careers in STEM, working for the DoD and specifically for NIWC Atlantic.”
The HLET, in conjunction with the command’s STEM Outreach program, concentrated outreach efforts on the Hispanic/Latino student populations in the Charleston community through repeated engagements focused on STEM activities and highlighting various career options.
“HLET has served as a conduit and resource for young Latinos in the Lowcountry seeking careers in STEM professions,” said Elizabeth Tello, project engineer for NIWC Atlantic’s Air Traffic Control Engineering division, who accepted the award on behalf of NIWC Atlantic.
Inspired to become an engineer as early as age 10 after seeing Star Wars and wanting to build the B1 Battle Droids, Tello said her goal is to help Hispanic and Latino children feel empowered studying STEM-related subjects and participating in STEM events, like a local “Graffiti Robot” event, during which, students build a circuit to power a motor and a rocker switch to make their robot draw.
“It is vital for us to get out there and be a face for these kids, someone that they can relate to,” Tello said. “Children need to see people who look like them, speak like them, and think like them, so that they can believe, ‘If he or she can do that, I can do that too.’”
Some of the HLET’s efforts included hosting a virtual STEM panel with students at a local high school; participating in “Pi Day,” during which, the team presented various math-themed activities to under-served students of color at local middle and high schools; and supporting hands-on STEM activities for students at a local elementary school.
Promoting the cybersecurity career field, Tello and other HLET members translated STEM curriculum into Spanish to help students decipher puzzles and encode/decode messages using substitution ciphers.
Members of the HLET also assisted a local middle school’s English as a Second Language (ESL) class by providing hands-on activities using both English and Spanish instruction for students whose first language was Spanish.
The team’s bilingual members met with classes virtually to talk to students about STEM careers. Conducted entirely in Spanish, these events emphasized the value of an education, career field possibilities and incentives like paid holidays, sick leave and comprehensive health insurance —benefits not always available in manual labor jobs.
One of the team’s key initiatives was providing interpretation and translating school materials into Spanish to help families discover what prospects exist for their children.
For example, during a NIWC Atlantic outdoor event, members of the team noticed a Hispanic family showing interest and encouraged the family to participate even though they were not registered. The team guided the family in Spanish through each STEM activity.
“We recognize the importance of helping Hispanic and Latino parents understand the STEM literature presented to their children so they, too, can understand what opportunities are available to them,” said Ruth Cruz, business financial manager for NIWC Atlantic’s Enterprise Business Systems division, who accepted the award with Tello. “With our help, these parents can be advocates for their children and encourage them to pursue those opportunities."
A daughter of first-generation immigrants, Tello said she credits her own parents for her successes because they provided unwavering support during her toughest times while earning her college degree.
“They could never finish college due to family commitments and the lack of financial resources, but they saw the huge importance of achieving a college degree,” Tello said. “I guarantee you, my dad is bragging to everyone about how I became an engineer.”
Now with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Clemson University, Tello reflects on how she approached, what seemed an almost impossible educational goal, yet she earned her degree.
“Initially, I perceived STEM subjects as difficult, and I was scared to pursue them,” Tello said. “And the classes were hard, but I persevered, I learned and grew stronger in those fields, and I was able to succeed.”
“As I now reflect on everything, I see a STEM college career as a STEM project because contextually speaking, you first build a team, do lots of good research, learn how to step away for a bit and prepare to fail,” she said. “Man’s greatest achievements in STEM fields all benefited from these project qualities.”
It’s this same approach that Tello said has led her to many successes as an employee at NIWC Atlantic, an organization she is proud to say fosters inclusivity and is committed to empowering every ethnic population among its workforce. By having a HLET, the command has provided a guiding force to remove barriers and level the playing field for Hispanic employees.
“By providing professional development, resources and networking, and by facilitating access to meaningful career opportunities, the HLET helps Latinos succeed in every phase of their career at NIWC Atlantic.”
Fellow HLET member, Carlos Rios, IT project manager for Policy and Planning at NIWC Atlantic, echoed Tello’s sentiments and pointed out that the Hispanic workforce faces challenges that don’t necessarily impact or aren’t felt by other populations. He said educating the members of the community about those challenges can help overcome them.
“My challenges have always been associated with the initial acceptance into a team or leadership position,” Rios said. “It always seems that I have to prove myself no matter what my past successes have been. I have to work twice as hard to be given the opportunity.”
But even with hurdles to overcome, the rewards are always worth the efforts, he said.
“It’s hard work and it’s rare that you get recognized, let alone win,” Rios said. “But when you receive a recognition like the LULAC Award, you know your work is not going unnoticed and it’s making a difference.”
NIWC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Nicole Nigro lauded the HLET members for their accomplishments.
“We are extremely proud of our Hispanic/Latin Employment team members for their trailblazing achievements in ensuring Hispanic and Latin Americans are not only represented in our command, but also celebrated for their contributions to the community, and the impact they have on our warfighters and the command’s mission of delivering information warfare,” Nigro said.
About NIWC Atlantic
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.
| Date Taken: | 10.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2022 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 431341 |
| Location: | N. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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