How Facebook & Instagram’s Danielle Noriega is advocating for the Latinx community daily
Meet, Danielle Noriega! The half-Colombian, half-Ecuadorian jefa is making moves at Facebook & Instagram’s partnership department. Having graduated from Rutgers University as a first-generation Latinx, Danielle brings her heritage to the tech world every day. The Latina professional amplifies Latinx stories and advocates by partnering with BIPOC brands that support our authentic experiences. Danielle has collaborated with major Black and Brown creators and journalists through a diverse set of social media partnerships to enhance storytelling. With her robust experience and impressive resume, the New Jersey native credits powerful WOC who guided her along the way. Ahead, Danielle reveals her first corporate experiences, sentiments of being a first-generation Latinx, and how she advocates for our community over at Facebook and Instagram.
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Latinx Upbring Influencing Career
I’m a first-generation Latinx from Lodi, New Jersey. I am the proud daughter of an Ecuadorian mother and a Colombian father. As a child, my parents didn’t allow my siblings and me to speak English at home. In the early ’90s, I watched telenovelas, stayed up to date on media gossip, and watched the news on Univision every day (and still do) at 5 pm. The daily 2-hour block of Primer Impacto, Univision, and El Noticiero influenced my career path a great deal. The first internship I held was at Univision 41, where I was able to work with the public relations and news departments. Even though PR was not for me, I gained exposure to stories celebrating and amplifying the Latinx community through my work in the news. I then went on to work in newsrooms across Latin America, where I have had the opportunity to continue educating, informing, and raising communities.
Generational Reflection
I consider my mother to be my best friend, biggest ally, and most trusted confidante. She came to the United States in 1979, just before Christmas, with no family or friends. At the same age, I was hired by Facebook, Inc. I’ve always been struck by that detail when I juxtapose our lives. My very first business trip is still fresh in my mind. I collapsed on the bed in the hotel room, sobbing. I know that sounds dramatic, but I was overwhelmed with guilt as soon as I entered the room, despite feeling an inherent sense of gratitude. When my mother was that age, she worked odd jobs in factories. She had no papers, spoke no English, and had few resources. What had I done up until that moment that brought me to that beautiful hotel room? Her best years had been sacrificed for the best life for her children – I was fortunate enough to be her daughter. She always encourages me to keep believe, explore, and dream. Any crazy idea or thought I’ve had, she’s supported and cheered me on the entire way.
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First Corporate Experience
At the beginning of my career, I was extremely self-conscious about the way I spoke. In a professional environment, I never felt that I was an eloquent speaker. The fear that I would be deemed unqualified resulted in me never speaking past a self-introduction in meetings. During meetings, I would Google words that my colleagues said that I didn’t understand. One time, a colleague caught me in the act, and I laughed about it. I still feel the knot in my throat I felt nearly six years ago as I write this. However, I remind myself, I speak multiple languages. Since then, I have planted my feet firmly into the ground, and I have shaken off those negative thoughts, and now I acknowledge that I am an intelligent, well-spoken woman.
Seat At the Table
My goal is to incorporate my cultural heritage, from translating a presentation to encouraging our teams to explore the Latinx space further. “Do you have a Spanish copy of the media deck?” I’ll ask whenever you show me a media deck. I worked with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) in my previous role at Facebook. Along with other diverse news non-profits, our team created a scholarship for the NAHJ. Being a part of this was huge for me. NAHJ awarded me an Excellence in Broadcasting scholarship during my senior year of college. Due to this, I was able to graduate from Rutgers University. It was a full-circle moment for me to be able to pay it forward to a fellow Latinx.
Facebook & Instagram Highlights
One of my biggest professional highlights was working with Latinx newsrooms within Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil on utilizing social tools around tent pole moments like elections. I developed newsroom ‘boot camps’ with my manager Jennifer Jenkins, colleagues, and we embedded them in the newsrooms for 1-2 days, working directly with news teams. Additionally, I was a part of the Instagram project HBCU Homecoming last fall, in which we brought homecoming celebrations to the masses virtually. Our partners hosted the #HomecomingDripOff Reels challenge, where students and alumni showed us what they would’ve worn for homecoming. Thanks to Watch the Yard and All Def for creating an incredibly tight-knit community and come up with the idea.
Younger Self Advice
Ask for exactly what you want – the worst thing anyone can say to you is ‘no.’ Keep moving forward if they say no because you’ll eventually reach that ‘yes’.