By Sasha Vazquez, Director of Content at DailyPay
Sasha Vazquez, Director of Content, DailyPay
Living in a city like New York, I get asked the question “Where are you from?” a lot. But no matter how many times it comes up, I can never give a straightforward answer. My life’s map feels like a connect-the-dots—born in North Dakota, a few years in Florida, a college stop in Texas, and now I’m in NYC. And in the middle of it all? Ten years in the beautiful chaos of Mexico City, my second least favorite place to drive.
So, where am I from? I usually just say, “It’s complicated.”
My mixed background isn’t just an identity note—it’s the flavor that influences everything I do, including my work as Director of Content at DailyPay. As we reflect on Hispanic Heritage this month, I love thinking about how my multicultural upbringing has shaped my views on work, money, and getting paid.
Lessons from the Front Lines of Finance
Growing up, I watched my parents live through the highs and lows of making ends meet. My mom worked doing nails and facials, and through sheer determination and hard work, she eventually owned two shops before retiring. It was thanks to her relentless hustle that I learned the true value of hard work.
My dad’s experience was different but equally impactful. For many years he was an hourly worker at a call center, helping Spanish- and English-speakers navigate late credit card payments and overdue mortgages. He spoke to people at their worst moments, hearing the strain in their voices as they tried to keep their financial lives together.
Both their experiences taught me that money is more than just a balance in a bank account—it’s about dignity, peace of mind, and the freedom to dream beyond the next bill.
From Paycheck Paranoia to Financial Freedom
Even as I became the first in my family to go to college and eventually landed a corporate job, the money worries stuck with me. Throughout my 20s and 30s, I was always concerned about overspending my earnings and ending up in the challenging financial situations I had heard about growing up. But that fear also lit a fire in me. It made me want to rethink what it means to be financially responsible and find ways to make money work for me, not against me.
I started by educating myself about personal finance, budgeting, and emergency funds. I began to view money not just as a source of stress, but as a tool for creating stability and opportunity. This journey led me to explore various financial strategies, including some deeply rooted in my cultural background.
The Tanda: A Lesson in Community Finance
One such strategy that caught my attention was the tanda, a prime example of how Latino communities have been creatively solving financial challenges for generations. Have you ever heard of a tanda? No, it’s not a TikTok dance (though it sounds like it could be). It’s a community-based savings system that has served as a financial safety net for many Latinos.
Picture this: a group of friends or family members contribute a set amount regularly, and one member takes the whole pot each time. It’s like a cash piñata, but instead of hitting it blindly, everyone gets their turn to break it open and reap the benefits.
This kind of community-focused problem-solving is what I love about our culture. Long before “disruption” became a tech buzzword, we were finding creative ways to support each other financially, often with limited resources at our disposal.
The tanda spirit is what I carry into work every day. Whether I’m writing content or brainstorming with my team, I’m thinking about how we can communicate our financial services in a way that’s more accessible, more human, and more fun.
Keeping It Real at Work
As I’ve navigated my career in tech and finance, it took me a while to realize that these lessons from my multicultural background make me more, not less, valuable to any workplace. And that’s the biggest takeaway I hope people can have.
To my fellow Latinos in tech and finance: keep showing up as your full selves. Your experiences, voice, and perspective matter more than you realize. This time of year isn’t just about celebrating our past; it’s about shaping the future, where financial empowerment is a core part of our daily lives.
And to everyone else, I invite you to discover more about Hispanic culture. Learn a few words in Spanish, give tamale-making a shot (fair warning: they take forever), and most importantly, listen to the stories that make up our community. Your engagement and interest make a real difference. The future of finance is diverse, inclusive, and full of potential—and it’s up to us all to build it.