Savoring tradition: How music and food keep Vero Gonzalez’s Chilean heritage alive

Vero Gonzalez, a senior software engineer at Elastic, left Chile 16 years ago but remains deeply connected to her culture through its vibrant flavors and soulful rhythms. She moved to Madrid, Spain, for a software engineering job with the Spanish government, and later to Australia, where she now lives. Vero discovered the open source community through a project and fell in love with the freedom and potential to improve people's lives. She got a job with the Spanish government working on a disability law and later met her partner in Spain, who brought her to Melbourne, Australia. Initially, Vero didn't speak English, so she worked on a radio station's Latin program, connecting with the local Latin community. She learned English, got another tech job, and continued to socialize with the community, drawn to cultural events and sharing her culture. Vero was attracted to Elastic's culture, which values human connection, and works on a team that aims to make developers' lives easier. She joined the Elasticians Unidos ERG, which allows her to connect with people who share her Latin or Hispanic background. Vero recommends exploring Elastic's Employee Resource Groups to meet like-minded people and find common interests. At home, Vero keeps her Chilean roots alive by cooking traditional dishes and listening to Chilean music, bridging the distance between her homeland and new life.