Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Jesse Acosta and Janett Reyes

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture every year from September 15th to October 15th. This month gives extra recognition to these Hispanic communities and the many contributions they have made to American history and culture. We wanted to join in on this celebration and shine a spotlight on two of the valuable members of our GLS team, Janett Reyes and Jesse Acosta!???

Janett Reyes ??

Janett is our Claims and PCX Supervisor, and she has been with GLS for 13 years. Janett is Mexican and her father came to the States through her grandfather, and he received an amnesty for being a farm worker. Her mother came over to the US after her father. Janett still travels every year to visit her family in her family’s hometown, Sahuayo, Mexico.???

What are some of your favorite traditions from your Hispanic heritage????

“The town my family is from, Sahuayo,?is referred to as the “Athens of Mexico”. My family makes huaraches, a crucial trade for Sahuayo, as shown in the photos below. ?This skill is passed down to all of the kids too. We also participate in the Tlahualil festival. Tlahualil in nahuatl meaning “defeated warrior”. The dancers would be dressed in this way to celebrate after battles with the Spanish.”???

Who is your Hispanic Heritage Month hero?????

“For me, it would be my grandmother. My grandmother raised eight children on her own. She was a single mother, so she's very inspirational to me. To raise eight children on your own in Mexico is huge, especially in a time when women weren't employed and did not have well-earning jobs. She was kind of a Jane of all trades, if you will. Just did a little bit of everything to make sure that she made ends meet, provided for her family, and made sure that all her children received an education and have as much opportunity for a successful life as she could provide.”??

What is your favorite thing about working for GLS????

“It's the people for me. I love everybody that I work with. I think everybody is family, they all know my kids. I know their kids. I always get to hear their stories. So, it's above just the professional. For me, it's become personal, and I think it's just that it just creates a lot of love, creates a lot of trust, and it creates a lot of unity. I always say that we can work better in customer experience because we all have that tying connection with each other, and it helps get everything going. A well-oiled machine when you have everybody moving at the same pace at the same time.”??

What company value resonates with you the most, and how do you embody it in your work???

“Again, I would say it’s the people and making sure that I treat them as if they were family, just the way that I would like to be treated. So, whether you're a part-time customer experience, a service representative, or a director, I'm going to treat you with the same level of respect that doesn't change. And then integrity is huge and taking ownership. I think having a work ethic in everything that you do instills that pride. I love being able to sign off my name on things knowing that it was completed to the best of my ability, and I gave it a full 110%.”??

Jesse Acosta ??

Jesse is an AM Operations Supervisor at our Santa Fe Springs Depot and has been with GLS for 4 years. He is Mexican and he is the 5th generation of his family to live in the United States and 3rd generation of military service.???

What are some of your favorite traditions from your Hispanic heritage????

“Food, family, and faith. These tie us all together as a Hispanic family, those big things are a huge part of our life and our culture. I took the time to learn family recipes so I could pass them on to the generations behind me. I think that our culture of food is getting lost with this other generation, right? I think people just don’t have time to learn those recipes. Those recipes aren’t going anywhere so that was always important to me so I can pass on that that part of our culture to the following generations.”??

Who is your Hispanic Heritage Month hero?????

“I have to say both my grandfather and my father. They were both patriarchs of the family. My grandfather had my grandmother had twenty children together. They have a huge family, so I had a bunch of uncles and aunts. They all played a heavy role in bringing me up. I had an uncle for each category of life: camping, sports, dance, and clipping. My dad established the foundation of what it means to be a husband and father.”??

What is your favorite thing about working for GLS????

“I've been able to influence a lot of procedures and operational changes. I'm also part of a team that leads training for our supervisors. Being able to use the skill set that I have acquired allows me to influence and train the rest of our supervisor team. This is just one reason why I love GLS. I get to have that influence and have my input validated by senior and executive leadership.”??

What company value resonates with you the most, and how do you embody it in your work???

“People and integrity resonate with me the most. I can't do what I do without my team. So, I strive to put my team first. I am a very consistent supervisor, so there's no favoritism and just the integrity that I have as a person, and it can be reflected in the everyday operation.”??

Below are images provided by Janett and Jesse.