Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
Each year, Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. While we uplift the Hispanic & Latinx community throughout the year, this month-long occasion provides a great opportunity to reflect and celebrate their contributions, cultures, and the collective progress that has been made. At Morrison Living, we are honored to feature just a few of our dynamic Hispanic and Latinx team members.
Kevin Ehmann
Kevin is the Director of Culinary Services at Wesley Homes in Des Moines, WA. Born in El Salvador, since his migration to the U.S. at the age of 14, Kevin has inspired others by sharing his personal experiences and accomplishments.
“I connect with people by creating memories, starting meaningful conversations, and by caring for what matters to them. I embrace people’s uniqueness and as part of the LGTB+ community, I have learned how to appreciate everyone’s personalities with different cultural backgrounds. The key to success is to learn how to appreciate differences and utilize every uniqueness and talent. It’s like having a secret ingredient for a perfect recipe.”
Kevin Ehmann
Janice De La Cruz
Janice, a third-generation Latinx, is the Regional Retail and Resident Experience Manager, supporting Morrison Living teams located in the West. In her 15 years with Compass Group, her colleagues, clients, and residents have brought great joy to her career in hospitality.
“I feel it is important to keep the culture in the forefront and not lose any of the vibrant traditions and remembrances of our Hispanic ancestors. By celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage each year, it is an honor to see the culture being recognized and warmly embraced by new and old generations in a way that is fitting to today’s culture and society.”
Janice De La Cruz
Diego Burgos
Diego serves as the Executive Chef at Smith Village, located on the South Side of Chicago. He loves meeting new people from Latin America because while they might too, be of Hispanic and Latinx descent, they’re typically from different nations, so he is able to learn from their experiences.
“I take pride in speaking about my background and my path to success, either here at work, or with my younger family to mentor them. I like to teach the staff at work various Spanish words for food. It is fun and educational!”
Diego Burgos
Marlen Mejia
Marlen, a first-generation Mexican American, serves as Dining Services Manager at White Sands La Jolla located along the California coast. She loves Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month because it is a time to highlight the culture’s achievements and contributions to society.
“Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month means a lot to me as it is a celebration of my people and reminds me of all the sacrifices my parents made to ensure I had better opportunities than they did. Some of the ways I try and inspire others to celebrate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month is by sharing our culture through our delicious food and art, sharing our traditions with others, and taking the time to celebrate and discuss those Hispanic and Latinx representations in our community who have made a difference.”
Marlen Mejia
Jesus Rodriquez
Jesus serves as Executive Chef at Cantata Adult Life Services in Brookfield, Illinois. He’s an advocate for celebrating bilingualism and diversity as a whole.
“It is our responsibility to show people how to help themselves through teaching and mentoring. We must remind our youth that identifying with where you came from is very important. Show interest in your staff who are bilingual and ask them how to say something specific in Spanish or in their native language! The Latino contribution is something to be celebrated not only this month but all year.”
Jesus Rodriquez
We appreciate the opportunity to learn more about Hispanic & Latinx culture and are proud of our diverse and inclusive workplace. Love what you see? Join us! We’re always looking to welcome new team members. ¡Hasta luego!