Honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month: A Q&A with TJ Sebens

TJ Sebens
Accounting Manager

At SealingTech, we’re committed to a diverse workforce, as it makes our continued success possible! Our culture is one of learning, so to honor the month, we asked our very own TJ Sebens to share her story on her culture and how she celebrates the month! TJ is a vital part of our team and brings her expertise (and her great sense of humor, of course) to SealingTech. She is a proud mother of four, and she is of Afro-Cuban and American Mulatta decent born and raised in Virginia.

 

Q: How do you feel about being a Hispanic woman working in finance within cybersecurity, which is typically perceived as a male-dominated industry?

A: I don’t give it much thought, but I do know and recognize that you don’t necessarily see diversity in this industry, especially in finance, so it does feel great and empowering to be able to be a representative of my community within this industry.

 

Q: How are you planning to celebrate your heritage this month?

A: I ensure that I promote and purchase from Hispanic-owned companies and restaurants, and I also enjoy attending events that honor my heritage as well. Sometimes I bring friends and colleagues along with me to expose them to different restaurants that serve authentic Hispanic cuisine, festivals that are centered around Hispanic culture and music, and many other things I enjoy that make me proud of my heritage.

 

Q: As time has passed over the years, what are your thoughts regarding the progress made with diversity and inclusion involving the Hispanic and Latin community within the tech industry?

A: I’ve seen many companies discuss the topics surrounding DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) but not a lot of them take the necessary steps to truly be open with embracing it. I don’t see a concerted effort within corporate America in trying to obtain talent from minority groups, and you don’t see many Afro Latinos or Latinos in general within the tech industry, and it bears the question – why not? What can we do as a society to improve that? I am happy that SealingTech makes a conscious effort with DE&I, especially by supporting this movement with our recent donation to Raices Cyber.

 

Q: Could you share some of your favorite cultural traditions?

A: My favorite tradition is centered around food and bringing family and friends together. Roasting a whole pig on Noche Buena (our popular Hispanic Christmas Eve celebration) is probably my favorite holiday tradition.

 

Q: Is there a nonprofit organization that you like to support?

A: Yes, I support Hola Cultura, which is an organization that works with donors and other community organizations to help educate and provide resources to the Latino Community in Washington, D.C., specifically within the arts.

 

Q: Tell us about your career trajectory, TJ. How did you choose SealingTech?

A: I was an unconventional student. I raised my four children before returning to school to obtain my degree from Penn State. I started my career with Montgomery County Government as a contractor. From there, I sat with each section within Finance to document their processes and streamline their costing procedure. While I worked in each section, I landed in the payroll department. From there, I have held titles such as Payroll Specialist, Staff Accountant, Lead Senior Accountant and now Accounting Manager. SealingTech chose me and I stood up and took the baton.

 

Q: What do you enjoy most about being part of the SealingTech team?

A: I appreciate that my sense of humor has drawn people towards me. I get along with everyone I come in contact with. If you are around me, you are sure to get a good laugh. I’m a big kid at heart and my office mates and coworkers are great. I enjoy the fact that my manager and leadership take my input seriously, I feel heard and seen and that’s important to me.

 

Q: What advice would you give to the next generation of people in the Hispanic community who strive to work in finance, or within tech?

A: If you know what you want, don’t hesitate to go for it. Make sure that your presence is known, and that you have the ability to move through different social groups no matter what background you come from. It’s important to be curious, you have to have the confidence to obtain whatever it is that you want. You may stumble, but that’s not failure – it’s a lesson learned. You grow and learn from your mistakes. Regardless of what the table may look like, be confident in knowing that a seat there has your name on it and that you deserve to be there.