BlogHispanic Canadian Voices
A Conversation with Hispanotech President Citlalli Ríos
On mentorship, volunteering, and why showing up matters for Hispanic professionals—and especially women—navigating Canada’s labor market.
Given the weather conditions that limit in-person meetings, I decide to coordinate the four interviews for this first publication of Hispanic Canadian Voices, the new HCHC blog, via Zoom. On the other side of my screen, I meet with four bilingual and bicultural young adults who grew up between two worlds, and whose Hispanic Canadian identities allow them to see and understand reality from more than one perspective.
What was your professional journey like, and how did you end up in the tech world here in Canada?
Thank you for this question, especially because tech hasn’t always been my thing. I studied international trade and later became interested in pursuing a master’s in business innovation. It was here in Canada that I truly realized that tech was my niche. And it’s also where, as a woman, I personally recognized there was more work to do so that women could have a better place and better opportunities. So, I really came to the tech world first out of personal curiosity, wanting to understand how things work, and then out of a personal interest in seeing more women in the industry.
What was that transition like, from discovering your interest to building a career in tech?
It comes from what I saw and what I personally experienced trying to enter the labor market as a woman, as a Latina, and then what it has cost me to reach a level comparable to what I left behind in Mexico.
Moving to Canada was, at first, about exploring what it’s like to live in a “first-world” country. Once I arrived, I realized not everything was perfect. Reality can’t be like that anywhere. Over the years, I started seeing the gaps in a labor market where women were still systematically in less privileged positions than men, just as I had seen back home in Mexico. Finding those similarities pushed me to explore these issues more deeply.
After ten years working in logistics, I focused on a system called Customer Relationship Management (CRM), which many companies use to manage relationships with clients. I became an expert in CRM within logistics, and that’s how I started taking the reins on the tech side. In that space, I also noticed something was missing: women teaching women how to do it. The instructions and tutorials were almost always from men. So, I thought, it can’t be that we don’t have more representation, even here in Canada.
That’s how I started connecting with groups that work to improve women’s representation to identify what can be done. And the most important thing I realized was: Show up. Be there. Speak up. Say: tell me more; I’ll step forward; I can help. And a lot of that naturally leads you into volunteering. That’s how I found Hispanotech. My first connection was as a mentee in their mentorship program. Then I took on new responsibilities. I became a mentor, then I joined the Board of Directors as Vice President, and now I’m President.
What we do at Hispanotech is support people so it doesn’t have to be so hard and raise awareness about how things work here.
How would you describe the presence of Hispanics in tech and STEM fields today, and the role Hispanotech plays in supporting that growth?
I’m proud to say I see it more and more. We are increasingly finding people in mid-level and senior management roles, and that representation really helps. When we’ve needed a speaker from the industry at that level, we can now find them. Now, finding a woman—that’s still a challenge.
The work we do at Hispanotech helps not only normalize hiring a Latino for certain positions, but also gives more confidence to employers who still hold the outdated stereotype that we are only prepared for certain types of work. When you have a workforce that is educated, experienced, and prepared for skilled roles, and you force them into manual work, the economy is losing out.
So, part of what we try to do at Hispanotech, together with the strategic partner organizations we work with, is help employers identify and recognize that this talent is at least at the same level. I even dare to say we are better in many ways, because in most Latin American countries we work with fewer resources, much tighter timelines, and much larger volumes.
Our most well-known and longest-running program is the mentorship program. As president, I’m absolutely convinced that we cannot stop doing it. Even if I had no resources to do anything else, I would still insist on moving the mentorship program forward, because the impact is very clear and the feedback is generally very positive.
This year, the mentorship program will celebrate its 12th anniversary. Before, it was limited only to people who could be identified as Latinos. But for about four years now it has been open to anyone interested in committing to the program. It was also originally focused only on people working in technology, but it has expanded to include STEM more broadly.
This year, we’re also focusing on strengthening connections with employers. My personal strategy as president is to keep maximizing and strengthening our partnerships. That way, whatever we do can have ten times the impact.
One of my motivations is also to help women have better opportunities. As a woman, I feel responsible for showing younger women that it’s possible to reach certain positions and that it’s important to keep trying.
When asked what advice she would give to newcomers trying to navigate the Canadian job market, Citlalli doesn’t hesitate.
Invest as much time as you can in going out and creating your network.
For women, especially those with families, going out to network can be very complicated because the responsibilities of the home still fall mostly on women. So, as a woman, my suggestion would be to actively and intentionally look for opportunities to expand their network as soon as possible. This should be priority number one. If they’re part of a parents’ group, volunteering at your church, or any space where they interact with others, my advice is to use every opportunity they have to expand their network as much as possible.
Where should someone start if they want to volunteer but aren’t sure how?
First of all, they should really analyze their time, especially if they share that time with someone else. Truly calculate the real hours they can commit. It’s also important to discuss this with partners or the people we live with so they understand that commitment. And while volunteering is very valuable for newcomers, it’s also important that the time they give is focused.
One thing I notice about our culture is that sometimes we think it’s unpaid work, but since it’s free, you can’t really demand anything from me. If I don’t finish it, nothing happens. If I’m late, nothing happens. But in reality, the only difference in volunteering is that you’re not being paid, the expectations and the needs can be the same as in a job.
In the first few years, it’s better to be very intentional about building their network within their target industry or within associations that certify skills related to that sector. Later on, once things are more stable professionally, then they can volunteer in a more relaxed way, maybe at their church, or as the coach of their child’s soccer team.
Citlalli also dedicates a significant part of her time to volunteer work, something she describes as both demanding and deeply rewarding.
I’ve never lacked motivation, even if sometimes I lack energy. I’ve been very fortunate to meet many incredible people along the way, people I probably would never have met if I hadn’t gotten involved.
Fortunately, right now I have the privilege, and it really is a privilege, to give my time. I’m able to balance it because my day job is very aligned with what Hispanotech does, and the people I collaborate with are wonderful people, and the extra effort doesn’t feel heavy.
I often look back and think: I’ve done all this, and I met this person through that, and this experience connected me to something else. In the end, it always brings personal satisfaction and a kind of value that can’t really be measured. It’s invaluable.
Listening to Citlalli, one idea returns again and again: the importance of showing up. Showing up to build networks, to mentor others, to volunteer, and to open doors for those who come after us.
Organizations like Hispanotech exist because people decide to give their time and energy to support others navigating the same path. And as Citlalli’s own journey from mentee to president shows, sometimes the first step is simply raising your hand and saying: tell me more, I want to help.
You can learn more about Hispanotech and connect at:
Maria Pia Maiti
Hispanic Canadian Voices
This conversation is part of Hispanic Canadian Voices, a space for reflections and conversations within the Hispanic community in Canada.
