My Journey To MCAN

Back when I was a senior in high school, I had one goal in life: get accepted to Harvard University. I worked my academic butt off, dotted all the i’s, crossed the t’s and earned a place in the Harvard University class of 1996. News of my academic achievement spread throughout my suburban high school like wildfire, and I was soon the envy of my fellow overachievers.

One day, I was having a lunchtime conversation with my friends and remarked about the history of legacy admissions at my impending alma mater, and how I dreamed of being the first of many in my Puerto Rican clan to pave a path to the Ivy League. I was soon met with the not so subtle retort, “Well, I’m sure the affirmative action will help.”

You know those moments when you hear something so shocking that you just freeze, not truly comprehending what was said until much later on? I do wonder what I would say now if given the chance to go back to that moment, but the truth is, I don’t know.

What I do know is that I’m currently celebrating my fourth year in a burgeoning career with America's largest mortgage lender.¹ It’s been a long and tumultuous journey to arrive at this amazing experience, and I’m grateful every day to work for a company that not only regularly ranks in “top 10 places to work” lists, but bends over backwards to listen to its employees and provide resources to them for fulfillment and advancement. And unlike my acceptance to Harvard, not even shortsighted people can dampen my ever-growing pride at having earned this opportunity.

One of the aforementioned resources here at the Rock Family of Companies are the Team Members Resource Networks (TMRN). These networks are a vital cog in helping team members find mutual interests and a means to navigate our day-to-day lives in our ever-changing work environment. This program led me to the Multicultural Advancement Network (MCAN), which I joined in 2018 and have reaped the benefits of that decision since day one.

MCAN was created as a resource for the vast number of minority team members that power the Rock Family of Companies. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes spent in any of our properties, whether at One Campus Martius, 615 Lafayette or Chrysler House, to see firsthand that this company thrives on diversity and embraces it in the workplace. But as Ferris Bueller famously quipped, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” After my first 2 years here, I was missing a lot both in terms of prospects and comradery.

Thankfully, MCAN filled an emerging void. At first, I thought it was just a resource for networking – a monthly meeting where we’d exchange business cards and schedule shadow sessions with newly discovered team members in foreign areas of the business. Then things got real. MCAN started hosting monthly discussions. This is a much-needed program where we as team members, and more importantly as individuals, engage and share our thoughts and feelings on a range of topics in a safe space. From the importance of diversity to balancing work and family and learning to cope and survive in a highly-charged political atmosphere, MCAN is a valuable entity in the company. I’ve had many jobs over the years, and not only have I never been given the ability to participate in such a group, but I can’t imagine another company that would as eagerly make an effort toward its development and prosperity.

Now, if MCAN were just a tool for nurturing conversations, it would still be a success. But what makes MCAN unique to me, and hopefully its other members, is its willingness to truly celebrate us and our vast backgrounds. Last year, MCAN hosted a Latino history event as a showcase for team members to share their respective stories; their heritage, their upbringing and their perspective on the American experience. Having recently hosted a divisional meeting and given a successful speech at E3,² I was eager to participate.

I gave a speech about my Puerto Rican background and, more specifically, my connection to American culture through its most cherished pastime: baseball. The history of baseball is ripe with contributions of Puerto Ricans from Bernie Williams to the Molina Brothers (Yadier, José and Bengie), from Carlos Beltrán to Hall of Famers Iván Rodríguez and Roberto Clemente. Clemente in particular holds a special place in many Puerto Rican hearts for both his legendary playing career and his tireless humanitarian efforts. Sadly, he died at the age of 39 in a plane crash trying to deliver aid to victims of a hurricane in Nicaragua.

I was also able to use the event to share my own personal connection to Puerto Rico and baseball: my grandfather. Raul Acosta was an aspiring pitcher who spent two seasons with Los Cangrejeros de Santurce. Why is this noteworthy? The “Crabbers” as they’re known in English, are one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated professional baseball teams. Santurce has served as a winter baseball destination for U.S. players for over 80 years, including such luminaries as Clemente as well as Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Perez, Reggie Jackson, not to mention Negro League legends Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. In fact, my grandfather was teammates with the fabled slugger Gibson. Alas, my grandfather’s career was cut short due to a car accident, but I take pride in his accomplishment and sharing this story last May was extremely heartening. 

As I mentioned earlier, I’m grateful daily for my life here at Rocket Mortgage^® and the perks and possibilities that come with each new day. I’m very happy with my position and take pride in my contributions with the Rock Family of Companies, but I can’t imagine a greater asset to my success than being an active member of MCAN.

¹Based on Rocket Companies^® data in comparison to public data records.
² E3 stands for Engage, Empower, Execute. This annual initiative aims to connect team members with senior leadership to ask questions and obtain updates about the direction of the company.