By Angelica Cadiente

Angelica Cadiente is a Legacy DTV employee. Angelica is a passionate member of the AT&T family who plays a crucial role in internal communications. We talked to her about what it means to be Asian American and what advice she’d give her younger self if she had it to do all over again.

What does being an Asian American mean to you?
To me, it means knowing and respecting my roots, but being independent and driven enough to carve out my own path. I’m Filipino and the first one in my family to be born in America, so all my life, I’ve straddled that line of identifying as an American, while being part of a family that has deep cultural beliefs and ways of doing things. While I know that my upbringing has helped to shape who I am in some respects, I don’t let being Asian American be the only label that identifies me. Everyone has different facets of their personalities and values that make up who they are, and my heritage is just one facet of who I am.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?
I am strategic, creative and thorough.

What does success look like to you?
It means looking at your life and finding happiness in all the different aspects that make up what you do and who you are. It doesn’t necessarily just mean doing well at work, though I do feel passionate about my job.  It also means feeling fulfilled, knowing that you’ve made an impact in the communities you’re part of, finding passions and creative outlets outside of work and being confident in who you are.

If you could give your younger self some professional advice, what would it be?
Learn to love math! I’m only half-kidding. Math was never really one of my true passions, and I really feel like I’ve found the right fit for me career-wise, but I know how important it is to encourage more girls and women to pursue STEM fields.

I’d also tell myself not to worry about being good at everything. I used to define success as being the smartest and being able to list off achievements. It helped get me where I am, but I’d tell younger myself to just focus on what you love doing, don’t be afraid to work hard when it’s warranted, but be smart about how you spend your time and don’t do things just for the sake of checking off boxes.

Angelica Cadiente,Senior Specialist, Corporate Communications