Micron recently reported in its 2020 diversity, equality and inclusion report, “For All,” that employee resource group membership increased 84%. Hear about one team member’s experience building and participating in ERGs.

I was born and raised in Mazatlán, Mexico, and have been interested in semiconductors ever since I got my first computer. My 17-year-old-self decided that I would pursue a degree in electrical engineering because “learning how hardware is made” was the only career that interested me. With my family’s support, I was able to move to the United States to pursue my degree and focus on circuit design and semiconductor manufacturing.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, I joined Micron Technology as a product engineer in the DRAM Engineering Group. The product engineering team resolves issues due to process, reliability, design or testing code marginalities on a given product. Reproducing fails on silicon can be challenging, but it is energizing to dive into the problem-solving process, find root cause of issues, and enable implementation and validation of the appropriate fixes.

I have now been working at Micron for over 15 years, and throughout my career, I have helped ramp three generations of both mobile and compute DRAM design IDs. My team is now driving introduction of Micron’s DDR5 portfolio, which will support next-generation computing platforms.

Using my skill set to promote DEI

It isn’t a stretch to say that I have applied the same skill sets to understanding the diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) challenges many people face in our communities. When I first began my career at Micron, I was one of very few female engineers, not to mention one of few Hispanic/Latinx engineers as well.

For these reasons, I joined the Micron Women’s Leadership Network (MWLN) employee resource group (ERG). It was great to connect with other female professionals in the company and dive into professional development activities with the group. One of my favorite activities was participating in and, most recently, helping lead the book club. Through the years, we have discussed topics specific to career development for women, wellness and DEI. MWLN also supports mentorship opportunities — learning from others and helping them learn from my experiences have strengthened me as an individual contributor and as a leader.

Promoting Hispanic and Latinx cultures

My experience with the MWLN was so positive that I wanted to launch an ERG for employees of Hispanic and Latinx heritage and their allies. Micron Hispanic Professionals (MHP) is dedicated to promoting leadership development and networking while increasing cultural awareness of the Hispanic/Latinx culture.

Our feature event is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the rest of the company and sharing traditions and celebrations such as Dia de los Muertos with co-workers.

While working on our celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month, our group had support from multiple teams, including executives, to enhance the inclusive and welcoming culture at Micron. During Hispanic Heritage Month activities, it was great to see the interest in challenges that Hispanic/Latin communities are facing during the COVID crisis. It was wonderful to socialize ways to help affected communities by volunteering time and donating money through the Micron Foundation.

Ensuring Micron employees are seen heard, included and valued

Due to Micron’s focused support, I’ve been happy to see other ERGs established over the years. Micron now has nine ERGs around the world. Diverse ERG committees often partner, and through these partnerships, I’ve met many colleagues that I would not have otherwise met. It has expanded my awareness and understanding of others’ unique stories and struggles, and the best part is that they have taught me how to support and advocate for them.

The ERGs also identify volunteer opportunities in various areas of the community and with nonprofits focused on areas of need. These opportunities help Micron make a big impact in the communities where our sites reside. We set up a language learning program — “Language Bits” — where volunteers from all over the company teach different languages (25 and counting) to program participants.

The support for ERG team members from our executives, executive sponsors, senior leaders and the DEI team has been remarkable — team members feel seen, heard, included and valued.

In a leadership conference this year, a speaker mentioned that diversity is what you see, but inclusion is how you feel. I know that all the changes Micron has made to DEI efforts have made a difference in enhancing a sense of belonging for all employees by allowing them to bring their authentic selves to work.