At Taco Bell, we empower our teams to be fearless, embrace different and drive change. We believe that each one of us has a story to tell.
This year’s nationwide Women’s History Month’s focus is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, which you can learn more about on nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org.
To honor and celebrate this year’s focus and women at The Bell, we will continue to tell their stories and amplify their voices. We will share their stories every week in the month of March in hopes that they not only educate but inspire you to drive positive and intentional impact within your community.
But first, a little Women’s History Month background... March is dedicated as Women’s History Month in the U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia. In 1982, Women’s History Week was officially launched in the United States. Five years later, the entire month of March was devoted to acknowledging courageous trailblazers across all backgrounds – creating room to celebrate the cultural impact of past, current, and future generations.
Throughout the year, we will continue sharing the incredible stories of our Taco Bell teams; the sharing and celebration doesn’t stop here.
WEEK 2
Week 2: Erika P. - Entertainment, Sports & Collaborations
“The hustle is real.” Being a full-time college student, working three jobs all while applying and interviewing for multiple internships, Erika was ingrained in ’the hustle of life.‘
Erika was working on her Communications degree at California State University of Fullerton, while simultaneously working in the food, entertainment and medical industries. As she got closer to graduating, Erika knew she needed to get an internship to help her jumpstart her career, and that’s where she found the Taco Bell Foundation. In 2014, she began an internship as a social media content creator for the Taco Bell Foundation, interning there for 4 months before transferring over to the Taco Bell Corp. social media team where she made content for the Taco Bell Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and much more. During this time, she found a passion for her work and for Taco Bell, “... from the beginning I always knew there was something special about Taco Bell, and I could tell it was rooted in that family-oriented culture that I love,” she said.
Erika grew in her role and eventually oversaw the social media team; however, her desire to keep the hustle alive pushed her to expand her career and eventually be a part of Taco Bell‘s first-ever entertainment, sports and collaborations team. But right before taking on this new role, Erika took on the most important job she could think of – becoming a mother.
After having her child and starting a new role, Erika began truly navigating the balance of work and family life. “I was a work horse before having my kid. If I’m doing something productive, it makes me happy and now, I have to mom in between work, so it has pushed me to create a good work-life balance,” she said. However, Erika knew that she would not be on this new journey alone, “I am very fortunate that Taco Bell has so many powerful women leaders who are role models and great women to look up to. [They’re] humble and will say, ‘let‘s learn that together.’”
Now having been with The Bell for over nine years, Erika is looking forward to continuing her journey with this new mindset: being the best role model she can be.
“I want to be the best role model for my daughter, to teach her that you can do anything you put your mind to and to not be afraid to use your voice,” she said. “Being a new mom in a corporate space, I feel even more empowered because I have a bigger purpose in life. My kid.”