Hispanic/Latin Heritage Month Spotlight

National Hispanic/Latin Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, is dedicated to showcasing the brilliant Hispanic/Latin culture. These grand celebrations include art exhibitions, music performances, parades, street fairs and more!

The observation started on September 15, 1968, as a weeklong celebration and expanded in 1988 to a monthlong commemoration. But why September 15? This date is the anniversary of the independence days shared by Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, also falling close to Mexico and Chile’s independence days on September 16 and September 18.

To honor this momentous month, we’re spotlighting members of the Hispanic/Latin community and their inspiring career and life journeys.

“Being a Latina woman is a source of pride. I love my Puerto Rican culture! What truly makes us special is that we celebrate the triumphs of our people because it is our orgullo (pride). Although our island is small in miles, we are big in heart. The greatest quality we have is that we are resilient no matter how many times we fall, we get up even stronger.”

Adamarie Pietri P. was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, home to the happiest people in the world, as she likes to say.

“Our culture is very friendly and welcoming. All thanks to the wide variety of talents we possess and our mix of Spanish, Indian and African roots, we can do great things.”

Growing up on the island as the youngest of eight siblings, she learned a lot very quickly, especially about the importance of family.

“Since I was born, my father has had cancer. My siblings and I learned to be present and support him throughout his process. It made me understand that we must take advantage of every moment we have with our loved ones because life is uncertain.”

It is no doubt that family a core part of the Puerto Rican culture. Since childhood, Adamarie’s biggest inspiration and driving force has been her parents and siblings. This same passion can be seen with her love for Taco Bell. So, how did she end up at Taco Bell?

Let’s backtrack to Adamarie’s college years. Since she was a little girl, Adamarie wanted to work in medicine so she could help people through her profession. “I had the privilege of educating myself by going to college. As soon as I graduated from high school, I started my bachelor’s degree in general science with a certification in medical technology. I got my master’s in quality management a couple of years later.”

While attending college, Adamarie started working part time as a cashier followed by shift manager at another quick service restaurant. It was during this time that she developed a liking for customer service. Upon graduation, that company offered her a restaurant general manager position at one of the most profitable restaurants in Puerto Rico. Soon after, she found her way to Yum! Brands.

“When my immediate supervisor left our previous company and started working at Pizza Hut in 2017, she offered me a job opportunity which I accepted and started as an Assistant General Manager (GM). During that time, I was able to increase my knowledge of the restaurant, delivery and carry out. After a year, Pizza Hut gave me the offer to be a Restaurant GM.”

After handling fries and pizza for years, she finally got to tacos!

“In 2020, Yum! gave me the opportunity to be part of the Taco Bell family as an Area Coach. Since joining, I’ve been able to develop leaders which is something I am very passionate about because I love seeing others grow.”

Adamarie’s Taco Bell journey is something she holds near to her heart. From the people she’s met to the memories she’s created; Adamarie cherishes it all.

“Taco bell has been a beautiful journey of meeting wonderful people with so much talent and passion for the brand. I just want to shout-out some of my leaders: Mr. Roberto Toledo to Eric Hernandez and Mr. Jamie Miro, I’ve learned a lot about teamwork. The same goes for Mrs. Sharilys Contrera, Denisse Santiago and Mr. Humberto Rovira whom I’ve gained great wisdom from.”

When she’s not helping her teams with their professional development during work hours, she’s traveling the world helping others through volunteer work. “Once a year, I use my vacation days to travel to different parts of the world through the agency, Encourage the Nations, supporting different projects such natural disaster recovery and helping children with basic needs.”

Whether it’s coaching peers at Taco Bell or taking volunteering trip to help orphans in Nepal, Adamarie’s heart is full of gratitude with every moment she experiences.

“Each experience is unique and transforms my heart in a different way. I hope that there are many more years of helping others, because each of the smiles of the people I have met are engraved in my memory. The most important thing is being able to show respect to everyone and accept them as they are.”

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