Articles
PEMCO employees honor Celebrate Diversity Month
May 5, 2022
by PEMCO Insurance
Hearing from PEMCO employees
Café PEMCO started with reflections from a few coworkers:Jason Moreland, Senior Accountant: “When I was asked to participate, I asked myself why diversity is so important and how have I been affected by diversity. The second question was more difficult because it was almost like asking a fish how it is to be wet. I work with a diverse group of people, I worship with a diverse group of people, my brother-in-law is Sikh, so I’m surrounded by people that are different from me. People have the same needs as I do to be seen, acknowledged, and valued. Through my different relationships, I’ve grown emotionally and intellectually, and that’s why diversity is important and why it should be celebrated not just this month but every month.”
Elena Vrinceanu, HR Business Partner: “I am Romanian and moved to the U.S. in 1994 with my husband. I am a quarter Greek on my mom’s side and grew up with a lot of Greek traditions. My ancestry on my Romanian side is from Brasov, a city in the center of Transylvania. Moving to the U.S. was a huge cultural shock – I felt like a kid in high school. Moving to a new country heightens your awareness of cultural differences and society.”
Nancy Richards, Organizational Change Senior Manager – ES, Impact and Optimization: “One of the things that drew me to PEMCO is I come from a family of educators. My grandmother started the educational system/model for those who are mentally handicap in Oregon and that became the model across the United States. So, as a little kid I would go to school with her and I found so many ways to understand and appreciate everyone’s contributions, regardless of their capabilities or where they were in life. I think that really started my understanding and appreciation for diversity in all things and all people.”
Nancy also shared her love for gardening and how folks may not know that behind the screen she’s 6 ft tall!
After hearing from a few employees about their backgrounds and what Celebrate Diversity Month means to them, attendees broke off into smaller groups using Teams’ breakout rooms. This gave PEMCO employees the chance to share, connect with other coworkers and reflect on Celebrate Diversity Month. Here are three key takeaways from those discussions.
Understanding your ancestry
Many employees shared how they or family members had taken tests like 23 and Me, AncestryDNA, and others to learn more about where their ancestors came from. Some found their results surprising while it led others to dive deeper into their family histories.Cultural differences
When sharing about their personal backgrounds, employees discussed how where they saw first-hand cultural differences while living throughout the United States and the world. PEMCO employees have lived across the U.S. in states like Georgia, Texas, and New York, and around the world in countries like Russia, Australia, and England.Celebrating both diversity and our similarities
Employees talked about how when they have conversations around diversity, they often find they have more similarities than differences. They found that celebrating both the things that make us different from one another and how we are connected is important.Visit our Mutual Good People page to learn more about PEMCO’s commitment to people and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Check out photos below of Nancy, Elena's son and German Shepherd pup, and Jason and his family.
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