Hispanic Heritage Month at Cadent: Bernardo de la Cruz

Bernardo de la Cruz, Manager of Service and Support for IT joined Cadent in 2018. Over the last four years, Bernardo has established himself as not only a key member of the IT team, but of Cadent as a whole, helping all our employees with their work equipment and software needs. To learn more about Bernardo, check out our Q&A below.    

Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15th to October 15th and serves as a month to celebrate the history and diversity of Hispanic cultures. It invites us to remember all the contributions Hispanic, Latina/o/e/x, and Afro-Latina/o/e/x people made in the past and will continue to make in the future. This year’s theme, “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation,” encourages us to ensure that all voices are represented and welcomed to help build stronger communities and a stronger nation.  

This month at Cadent, we spoke with some of our Hispanic, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx colleagues to learn more about who they are, their experiences in and out of the workplace, and what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them. 

Tell us about your role.   

I’m currently the Service and Support Manager for the IT Department. My role is to make sure incoming incidents and requests are answered and resolved in a timely manner and to help improve our support services. 

Where can we find you when you’re not at work?   

I’m either cooking at home or on my way to one of my go-to restaurants… But, if it’s not food related, I’m taking a walk or just spending time at home. 

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?   

This month represents a time of reflection for me. I am reminded that I am here as a result of the hard work of those who came before me. The impact the Hispanic American community has in this country is very clear, and we are reminded of it daily – although we may not always realize it. 

Do you have any favorite movies, books, music, or other cultural inspirations from Hispanic creators?   

Paulo Coelho’s books have had a big influence on me – I only wish I had started reading his works sooner to get that bit of inspiration that has since helped me pursue my career. 

What do you feel helps to foster a culture of inclusion? How have you seen those behaviors and practices successfully put into action?  

For me, food is a driving force for cultural inclusion. Wanting to experience different cuisines, I have an open mind about others and where they’re from. Where would New York be without its diverse restaurant options? It’s one of the only places in the world where you can go to one restaurant a day, for the rest of your life, and still not have visited all of them.  

What has been your proudest moment at Cadent?  

My job is heavily focused on customer service, so getting to know almost everyone at Cadent is something that makes me proud. It’s important for me to speak with and help as many people as possible, and make sure that they know my team is here to help them. 

What advice would you give to a younger colleague or a younger version of yourself?  

Don’t sweat the small details, follow your gut, and write everything down – everything you learn to do, every way to fix any number of problems, or who manages/supports a particular item. Also, a bit of empathy goes a long way. Someone else’s success may seem out of reach, but that’s only because you don’t know the circumstances that allowed them to get there. Yours will be different. 

Learn more about life at Cadent and see available roles on our Careers page.