We’re proud to be celebrating Pride

At Netcentric, our vision is a world where inclusivity truly means inclusivity for everyone. As we celebrate Pride this year, we’re proud of the fact that for us, Pride is not just one month, nor one parade, but something we celebrate all year round.

Our commitment to diversity at Netcentric includes challenging gender inequality and extends to prioritizing the cultivation of a workplace culture that honors how people self-identify. To this end, Pride is a great opportunity to celebrate our diverse culture at Netcentric.

How we celebrate Pride - this month, and every day

Pride at Netcentric marks the celebration of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and broader community. And the message that came across in all of our celebrations is no matter your background, our culture at Netcentric is somewhere where everyone feels comfortable and we are extremely proud to have such a welcoming culture!

Jesus Castañeda, a Senior Frontend Developer at Netcentric, says, “After joining Netcentric, I decided I would not hide my sexual orientation as I did before, and it has been a fantastic experience. I feel comfortable being myself and have never had any type of issue. I only hope everyone can find a place where they feel safe, valued, and loved.” Acknowledging that we can always do better, he goes on to say, “I'm very glad that Pride is celebrated at Netcentric. It makes a positive statement and hopefully makes the people of the community feel more comfortable knowing that everyone has their backs. It's a good first step, and we should build on this all year long by making sure Netcentric is a safe place for everyone”.

Echoing this sentiment, Mauricio Frias, Senior Marketing Technology Engineer at Netcentric, says, “With work taking a big part of our everyday lives, it is important for everyone to have a workplace where one feels safe to be who they are. Netcentric fosters a secure environment for everyone to be their unique selves, and it is in our core values to #cultivate-respect. I celebrate Pride every day, and I am proud to work for a company that gives us the opportunity to celebrate our diversity”.

Pride 2021 events and initiatives

This year, our Diversity and Inclusion circle invited everyone to our Pride event, which included costumes and drinks to give it the feel of a true pride parade. Our employees shared their personal stories and backgrounds. We welcomed an open discussion about how to foster a safe environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

We also created visuals for allies to show their support, including backgrounds based on the history of Pride’s Stonewall for video meetings to be used during the month of June and branded Netcentric Pride gifs and emojis for internal chats and social media.

We’ve also highlighted events held by the Cognizant Embrace LGBTQ+ & Allies Affinity group, including blog posts, social media activations, fireside chats and a virtual event featuring LGBTQ+ activist and actor Hikaru Sulu.

We’re committed to building a workplace culture that supports LGBTQ+ inclusion

Pride is a year-round celebration that we’re committed to honoring. Carmelo LaMattina, Senior Training and Development at Netcentric, says, “Pride celebration is an amazing event, once a year. I personally celebrate all year. It’s a part of me, and I am proud of who I am no matter what. It’s about respect, being free, receiving, and above all, giving love. The journey starts with ourselves, within ourselves, and inspiring others. Love yourself and love others. For everyone out there, never give up - the journey is long, but we are getting there, bit by bit”.

Katrin Weissenborn, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Netcentric says, “At Netcentric, we are convinced that people perform their best when they can be their authentic selves and feel safe in their surroundings. We work closely with the LGBTQ+ and allies affinity group at Cognizant to help develop awareness, understanding, and acceptance of our LGBTQ+ colleagues all year long, with a special emphasis during the month of June. This year we organized our first virtual Pride event and it was a wonderful experience. We laughed, we cried and celebrated the true meaning of our core value #cultivate-respect”.