Inclusion
Juan Garcia Jiménez
He/Him
Web Developer
Tell me about a place where you can be yourself.
I can be myself around my friends and family. I can show up and be who I am, and they’ll accept me for that, and it feels freeing just to be around them. Whenever you go somewhere with those people around you, you feel comfortable from the jump.
What has been your biggest teachable or meaningful moment that you’ve experienced thus far?
I have a mentor from college from whom I learned a lot. One of the things that she told me about overcoming speaking in front of groups or just feeling anxious and nervous before presenting was that you can do it scared. You can be scared, and it’s ok to be afraid, but you should still do it, and you will feel a lot better after doing it. It gives you the extra push of knowing you can do it. It’s ok to feel that stress, that anxiety, but prove to yourself that you can push forward, and you can push through finish your goals.
If you were to win an award, what would your walk-up song be?
It’s in Spanish, but it’s Hasta La Raiz by Natalia Lafourcade. It talks about how no matter where you go, you can always look back at your roots, hold them in your heart, and always have that there. You can always come back home, and it will embrace you. It’s nice to know that your home is always there, your roots are always there, and you’ll always have that support.
If you could talk about something for 30 minutes without preparation, what would it be?
Soccer, for sure. Mainly Chelsea. That’s my favorite team. It’s just enjoyable to get up early in the morning, watch a fun game, and then get your day going. I spent a lot of time playing with my dad, who trained me when I was younger, and it was just a fun way to bond. I pretty much have played since I could walk. Soccer is something I can talk about for ages.
What makes you excited about the work you do?
There are so many ways you can approach a solution and get creative with it. It’s a fun and nonlinear way to approach a problem. If you can figure out your end-goal, you can accomplish it many ways, and there’s no one “right way”. It’s nice when you’re working in a team because you can get different perspectives and ways to even approach a project. It is super creative and freeing.