From left to right: IBM employees Romelia Flores, Robert Loredo, and Catherine Treviño.
Courtesy of IBM
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked three IBM employees to share their experiences. Romelia Flores is an IBM distinguished engineer and a master inventor currently on IBM’s client engineering team based in Dallas, Texas. Robert Loredo is the IBM quantum ambassador worldwide lead and a master inventor based in South Florida. Catherine Treviño is a z Hardware brand technical specialist based in Poughkeepsie, New York.
In this Q&A, these three employees open up about how mentorship has benefitted their careers and share the importance of giving back to fellow members of the Hispanic community.
Tell us about your journey at IBM.
Flores: I joined IBM over 30 years ago as an intern and student at the University of Texas at Austin where I obtained a degree in computer science. As a software developer, I thrive on leveraging technology to accelerate business and collaborate with clients to drive app modernization. IBM has superlative talent around the world, many of whom have guided my journey. Being a strong technologist means being a continuous learner of technology as well as establishing a strong network.
Loredo: I joined IBM in 2004 and am fortunate to have a successful career because of IBM’s network and community. I have 20 years of experience in enterprise product development leveraging leading-edge technologies, most recently with quantum computing, a technology that’s expected to solve intractable problems that today’s most powerful classical supercomputers find challenging to solve.
Treviño: My journey at IBM has been short but accomplished! I joined in 2020 as an intern and rising senior from the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley. Upon completing my internship, I accepted an offer and returned in 2021. I’ve since switched roles to a different business unit, thanks to the guidance of fellow volunteers of Hispanics@IBM, the community for Hispanic IBM employees.
How has mentorship impacted your career?
Treviño: Networking led to a new opportunity within my first year at IBM. When I first joined full-time, I quickly realized the role was not the right fit. As a first-generation professional, I wasn’t sure how to navigate the situation. I chatted with Alan, IBM D&I leader for the Hispanic community, who connected me with Cleo, a Hispanic executive council leader, who brought up an open role. I’m grateful for that connection! Long story short, I’m now part of Cleo’s global sales team, where I help financial market clients find solutions with our z Systems.
Loredo: I’m grateful for the mentor who saw my potential and found a unique way to teach me complex subjects. While at Miami-Dade College, I struggled with the courses for engineering majors. My professor knew I enjoyed music and began teaching me mathematics using music as an analogy. That was my ‘aha!’ moment. My grades improved, allowing a transfer to the University of Miami, where I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering. That moment, when my professor found an unconventional way to teach, had a profound impact on me. I use that technique today. I wrote a book that teaches quantum computing implementation and I use analogies to explain it.
As a mentor, what advice do you share with mentees?
Flores: I’ve mentored hundreds of college students and IBM employees, including distinguished engineers and technologists. I’ve been told— especially by females and underrepresented minorities — that they’ve never seen a technologist with my level of impact, and they ask, “What’s your secret to success?” This inspired me to develop the “Eight Cs: Blueprint for Success” which I believe are key attributes for attaining success: competence, communication, commitment, creativity, collaboration, confidence, community, and chuckle – we often forget about this last one, but our work should be fun!