As we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month, Matt Garcia, Regional Director of Campus Operations for WesleyLife, says he has no doubt his Puerto Rican heritage helped shape him into the valued team member he is.
"My dad is full-blooded (Puerto Rican), born in Fajardo on the eastern part of the island; my mom is third-generation Irish, and ironically, when they met, Mom was the one who was teaching Spanish," Matt says with a laugh. "Both have always been very family-oriented, and my five siblings and I grew up with an understanding of pride in and deep connection with our heritage."
Matt's dad came to the United States at the age of 16; a standout student, he found himself in Dayton, Ohio, where he embarked on a course of study that eventually took him to medical school at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He married and started a family; the Garcias lived in Missouri and in New Orleans before a job at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center brought them to Mason City, Iowa.
His parents were busy with their careers, but Matt recalls that every summer, the family took the time to visit his mom's clan in Florida or his dad's in Puerto Rico. He and his siblings delighted in being part of a large extended family, and especially enjoyed connecting with their dad's culture.
"That experience of going to Puerto Rico and being with so many people who looked and sounded and acted like my dad created a sense of belonging and also created an affinity in me for people of other cultures," Matt says. (In the photo below, the Garcia family reunited for a gathering in June 2019 in Puerto Rico.)
"In addition to the great food -- rice and beans with pork or chicken were always the staple, and chicharrones (fried pigskin) is my favorite -- there was music and laughter, connection and acceptance ... and so much love every time we were together. I am proud to be a part of that and wish everyone could experience it."
Matt had always identified positively with his Hispanic roots, so the first time he felt he was prejudged because of his ethnicity, he was puzzled. Although he understands the positive intent behind the misguided invitation, he says he'll never forget the way it made him feel.
"As a freshman in college, I was told I needed to take a mandatory course for 'students like me' who the university felt would need extra help settling into college because perhaps no one else in their family had experienced higher education," he recalls. "They assumed that because I had a Hispanic surname and had marked 'Hispanic' on my paperwork, I had no frame of reference. It hurt."
Matt's experience with the mandatory class enabled him to be even more aware and empathetic of others who faced discrimination, and his overall college experience went on to be nothing but positive. It also led him to his chosen field -- a development for which he will always be grateful.
"I needed some volunteer hours and ended up at a senior living community near the campus, and I literally walked in and said, 'I need some hours; can I volunteer here?'" he recalls. "I was asked if I wanted to spend time visiting with residents, and the first gentleman I ended up meeting was one I chose because of his name: Lester Gigl.
"Lester was wearing a three-piece suit and high-top pump basketball shoes, and we sat and talked and laughed for a long time. As I got up to leave, Lester said, 'I hope you can come and see me again, because friends and family can be better than medicine.'
"That stuck with me, and within a few weeks, I had an internship there. Later, based on what he had said to me, I decided that I wanted to become a CNA and nursing home administrator. And I really think my openness to that was based on my affinity for people, which was a big part of my heritage and how I was raised."
That affinity eventually helped lead Matt to WesleyLife, where connecting is a key component of his leadership style, and the organization's focus on health and well-being reminds him that focusing on relationships is a key to success in any role.
"As Lester said, family and friends are better than medicine; that was certainly true in terms of family while I was growing up, and it's also true of the relationships we form at work," Matt says. "I'm happy to be in an environment where we know how we treat one another matters and can make a big difference in a person's overall experience."
