Nuestra Gente: Joshua Bencker on Amplifying the Persevering Spirit of the Latinx Community

¡Adelante Nasdaq! — our employee resource group (ERG) that explores Hispanic, Latinx and indigenous cultures — is a driving force of our Hispanic heritage and Latinx efforts at Nasdaq. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re spotlighting our members to better understand what being Latinx means to them and the role financial literacy plays in their community.

We spoke with Joshua Beckner, Associate Account Manager, Adelante Leadership Team, who takes great pride in his culture and shares it with tremendous passion.

Tell us a little bit about your background and role at Nasdaq.

I have been with Nasdaq in my position since October 2020. My job is to support the Western region relationship manager (RM) team. My duties range from contracts and paperwork to monitoring news, client meetings and questions, coordinating events, pulling reports, prepping RMs for meetings, writing speeches, and a few others. I do whatever is needed to drive client success for our team.

How did you find out about the Adelante? What do you hope to take away and bring to the Latinx community? 

I found out through a few emails about ERGs! I hope to bring a listening ear and loudspeaker for others’ voices. I learn so much about my family’s culture from others and am continually inspired by everyone’s unique story. I take away that energy and fuel that keeps me going!

What is your most memorable experience while being a member of the Adelante? 

Watching partners’ eyes light up with excitement as we have made events and opportunities come true.

How does Adelante encourage inclusivity, and how can groups outside of the Adelante network be allies to the Latinx community? 

Adelante encourages inclusivity by being a fully open group for all voices to be heard and stories to be told. There is no personal history we choose to ignore in this group. Other networks may be allies by hearing these stories and amplifying them while telling theirs as well.

What does being Latinx mean to you? 

Being Latinx to me means having a colorful, persevering spirit. It means putting others before yourself often and having family as a pillar in your world. Being Latinx means being proud of your culture, with a fervor to share that culture with all you meet.

What is your favorite Hispanic tradition or personal cultural experience/story you’d like to share? 

My favorite cultural experience within the Hispanic community is that of dance. To me, dance is a poetic movement, and within the Hispanic communities, each region, let alone country, has its own interpretation of dance. Dance captures the unified community that embodies Hispanic people, as well as the story it tells with the movements, the lyrics, the music, and the chanting. You feel the spirit of Latinos within the song and watch the history of our people in synchronized movement.

What is the largest challenge the Latinx community faces today, or something that you think is often overlooked for the Latinx community? 

I feel one of the largest issues to address within the Latinx community is that of voicelessness. Usually, I have found that members of the Latinx community do not tend to speak up for their own because of a lack of confidence that they will even be acknowledged or heard. It is on those that have the microphone to pass on that authority to those that do not believe that they even had it in the first place.

Who is a Latinx leader you admire and why? 

Sol Trujillo. He embodies the relentlessly creative and entrepreneurial spirit that many members of the Latinx community have, whether they are aware of it or not. He calls upon others within our community to rise up in confidence and boldly pursue the amplification of our ideas and voices. He is an advocate for never giving up when you feel deeply for a cause, a movement, or an idea.    

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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