Collective heritage: honoring the past, inspiring the future

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme—Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future—has given me space to reflect on how identity, heritage, and leadership shape the way we move through our profession. As a first-generation American, I grew up carrying fragments of my Ecuadorian culture but not always the full story of my roots. That experience pushed me to think deeply about identity and belonging, and what it means to create your own sense of heritage while working in a profession where representation is still limited. This reflection continues to influence how I approach leadership, advocacy, and community-building.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve built my career at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center (AMC) of New York, where I now serve as senior director of surgery and anesthesia. I am proud to be the first Latinx licensed veterinary technician director at AMC, as well as a veterinary technician specialist in emergency and critical care. I serve on multiple committees and recently accepted the honor of joining the New York State Board for Veterinary Medicine, helping shape the future of our profession at the state level. Along the way, I’ve been recognized with AMC’s Technician of the Year award and have had the privilege of lecturing nationally and internationally.

These milestones are meaningful, but they matter most because they allow me to open doors for others—making space for the next generation of veterinary leaders to see themselves reflected in this profession.

My colleague and new friend, Rochellie Cortés-Martínez, LVTg, CVT, MBA, walks a different but equally powerful path. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Rochellie has always carried a strong sense of identity and belonging. Her journey has never been about searching for heritage—it has been about advancing the veterinary technology profession itself. With more than 15 years of experience in education, leadership, and advocacy, she now serves as director of the veterinary technology department at Universidad Ana G. Méndez’s pioneering School of Veterinary Medicine, where she leads academic innovation, mentorship, and program development. Her focus is on pushing a profession forward—fighting for recognition and support of veterinary technicians in Puerto Rico and beyond.

Where my story has been about piecing together identity, hers has been about elevating a calling that has long been undervalued. Together, our experiences reflect 2 sides of the same truth: honoring the past while inspiring the future.

I was reminded of this during a recent panel on Latinx people in leadership, where I spoke candidly about identity and leadership. I didn’t expect people to cry. And truthfully, it’s uncomfortable when others call me an inspiration—I don’t always know how to hold that. But I’ve come to understand that those reactions aren’t about me alone. They speak to something bigger: the collective recognition of stories that have too often been left untold, and the relief of finally hearing them spoken out loud.

That same collective spirit connects me to the Latin American Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (LAVECCS). Speaking at their conference in Chile last year, I felt the power of our shared heritage across borders. Delivering lectures fully in Spanish was especially challenging, as I had learned the language later in life. But I did it. And in that moment, I felt the weight and pride of bringing my whole self—heritage, language, and profession—into a space where it mattered deeply.

In August, I traveled to Puerto Rico to see Bad Bunny perform his album Débi Tirar Más Fotos, with its theme “No me quiero ir de aquí.” The concert was a tribute to Puerto Rico, to identity, to place—and to the tension of wanting to stay even when circumstances push you away.

I couldn’t help but think of my own family’s story. My grandfather, Esteban López, was once a medical student with dreams of becoming a physician. He never got to fulfill that career; instead, he was forced to leave medical school behind and immigrate to the US to start over. My parents continued that journey, becoming US citizens, entering the workforce, and carving out a path that allowed me and my siblings to pursue education and fulfilling careers.

In many ways, my professional life is an homage to my grandfather’s unfinished dream. Although he never became a doctor, I like to believe that every milestone I’ve reached in veterinary medicine—every patient cared for, every lecture delivered, every door opened for others—is part of carrying his legacy forward.

For me, Hispanic Heritage Month is not just a commemoration—it’s a call. A reminder that finding your roots matters, and so does lifting an entire profession onto the stage it deserves. My journey and Rochellie’s may look different, but they meet in the same place: honoring the past, filling the gaps, and building a future where we all belong.

Seguimos pa’lante siempre, mi gente.