Investing in my community is advocating for a better future

By Monica Hernández
As told to Alec Kissoondyal and Edited by Sheridan Block

Monica Hernández was born in Cali, Colombia and moved to the United States when she was 11. She grew up in Ocala, Florida before moving to Jacksonville in 2005. She is currently Vice President of Asset Services Control within Global Markets at Bank of America. She is also involved with the Global Diversity and Inclusion Board, and chairs the Professional Development Committee for the Hispanic Organization for Leadership & Advancement (HOLA). Prior to her role at Bank of America, she was Assistant VP at Deutsche Bank and oversaw the Structured Finance Middle Office groups. While at Deutsche Bank, Monica received several awards for high performance and has been actively involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives for the Bank including co-chairing the Jacksonville Multicultural Partnership Employee Resource Group in 2016 and 2017. She is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University with a master’s degree in finance and marketing and a graduate of the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business. She also holds a certificate in Strategic Management from Harvard Extension School. She is fluent in both Spanish and English. During her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cycling, and working out.

Moving to the US and Attending College

When I moved to the US, I didn’t speak English. There weren’t many other Colombians in Ocala, and my Spanish was different to the dialect of Spanish that everybody else around me spoke. Even the food was different. I was vegetarian, but the house I arrived in didn’t eat any vegetables, so I had to learn to eat meat. This was 25 years ago, and Ocala is nothing like it is now. Back then, the closest house was a mile away. It was a huge culture change.

In 2005, I moved from Ocala to Jacksonville to attend UNF. During my time in college, I attended classes full-time and worked at the college of business and the Bank of America as a teller. I worked from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm, and then took all my classes at night. It wasn’t until I returned from spending a semester abroad in China that I realized how hectic my life was and how exhausted I felt. I wanted to find something more meaningful to contribute to.

Giving Back to the Community

My passion for helping the community came during my time as co-chair for the Multicultural Partnership at Deutsche Bank. I was responsible for creating events and programs that allowed people from various cultural communities to feel comfortable sharing who they are, what challenges they face, and what we can do to improve. I created a mentorship program at Deutsche Bank in which more than 35 employees spent time tutoring a class of third-grade students. With intentional tutoring, the students improved their reading and math scores. It was rewarding for myself and the organization to fulfill our goal of better serving our community members.

Toward the end of my tenure at Deutsche Bank, I searched for other ways to give back to my community using my knowledge and skills. That’s when I got involved with the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which supports and encourages Hispanic business owners in Northeast Florida. I became president of the board in 2019, a role I still hold today.

Wanting to further help my local Hispanic community, I joined HOLA to create a space for people to participate in panel discussions, mentorships, events, and networking opportunities to exchange ideas. I currently lead the Professional Development Committee for HOLA.

Sharing these experiences helps to show where we’re going, which is ultimately about providing opportunities for individuals, regardless of their background, to get ahead. Affiliated groups and employee networks are an important part of a corporation, and part of what the corporation does in the community. There are disparities that we are working toward closing. These affiliate groups like HOLA and FCHCC ultimately help bridge those gaps.

Improving through mentorship

There’s no such thing as doing it on your own. You always need somebody to lend you a hand. Yes, you put in the effort and took the initiative, but you always need those allies who speak about you in rooms when you’re not there and people who will elevate your name.

I am a byproduct of good mentorship. I have many mentors who have walked me through different journeys, in both the personal and professional side of life. I am also keen on getting the perspectives of people from different backgrounds that ultimately help you and challenge the perceptions of yourself that you might have. I have seen the impact of these programs in the form of professional development through building skillsets and making connections that allow us to get better, be challenged, and ultimately get to the next level.

Looking Forward

Right now, my biggest focus and dream is to be able to leave the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with a full-time paid executive. We are the fastest growing community in northeast Florida. Not having the right structure to provide tools to help a community that desperately needs it will only increase already existing gaps. My goal is to leave the organization in a place where it can hire a full-time president so that he or she can continue what we have been doing.

Throughout the years, I have become more passionate about advocating for my community, which is ultimately advocating for a better tomorrow. This is why immigrants like me move to the US: to be successful and to have better opportunities. As time goes by, I continue to see how much work there still is to be done.