ERGs encourage you to come as you are: Meet Elasticians Unidos

Employee resource groups, or Elastician resource groups as we like to call them, are formal groups within Elastic that are aligned with shared identities, experiences, interests, affinities, and allyships. 

We formalized these groups in 2021, but they’ve been a part of our culture since 2016. The formalization means that they are now ensured structure, budget, and a voice based on any dimension of diversity, identity, allyship, and advocacy. This was an important step in our global diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. 

Each ERG has their own mission and goals, but as a whole they want to create community and belonging around shared interests and experiences. 

Our core ERGs

We have seven formal ERGs: The Accessibles, Blasticians, ElastAsians, Elasticians Unidos, Rainbow Stack, Mil-Asticians, and Women of Elastic. We’ll be spotlighting them over the next year as they relate to culture or commemorative events and holidays.

Elasticians Unidos: Who are they?

September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage month — or as we like to call it, Elasticians Unidos month. It’s celebrated in the United States as a way to honor the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans on US history and culture. We’re taking the celebrations globally, though, and welcoming all who wish to participate in events throughout the month. 

Ully Sampaio, community programs manager, is the latest leader of the ERG. In her full-time role, Ully works with the Elastic community. Her team is responsible for building a close relationship with developers by organizing meetups, sponsoring conferences, and managing community-oriented programs such as the Elastic Contributor Program. 

“I was the first person on the team hired to manage the relationship with the Latin community, and being Brazilian was essential for that,” Ully says. “Nowadays, I manage the East Coast of the US and Canada, but having worked with the Latin community in the past made me more creative and encouraged me to always think outside the box.”

So it’s not her first time leading a Latin community. 

“Since I don’t work directly with the Latin community anymore, being the co-lead of the ERG allows me to be in touch with my roots and the community,” she says.

As the Elasticians Unidos ERG leader, she is proud of how far the group has come. Her first interaction with the group was in 2021 when she helped the team plan for and promote a samba dance group presentation as well as organize a panel with the Latinas in Tech founder. 

This year, the ERG is hosting a few different events for Elasticians Unidos month. 

Ully reached out to Laura Gómez, founder and CEO of Proyecto Sol, which helps to support mental health for Latine people using AI. Laura herself is Mexican, and she is going to put on a fireside chat for Elasticians in September. 

Ully is also planning smaller events for each week of the month. There will be volunteer opportunities with three different organizations. For example, Elasticians can volunteer to teach English to Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking children, or if they don’t have language skills, they can be a mentor. This year, the group’s goal is to celebrate their roots and make an effort to empower future generations, so the volunteer opportunities reflect that. In addition, they are hosting trivia sessions, cooking classes, and other fun activities for all to join.

And she is encouraging ERG members to share iconic Hispanic figures and more information on different countries in Latin America, so the group can celebrate together. These types of events are a great way to meet other Elasticians who identify with or have an interest in learning more about different cultures. 

While Ully is Brazilian, she has called the U.S home for eight years. She says she is blessed to call two places home.

“I joke that I am always pushing my radical Brazilian agenda,” she says. “I’m very passionate about Brazil.”

Ully shares her love of her country through her native language of Portuguese — her phone is in her mother tongue and she always speaks Portuguese to her dog. She also cooks Brazilian dishes to share with others. Ully has brought Brazilian candies to various Elastic events and did a virtual cooking class where she made Brigadeiro.

It can be hard to come from a different background, so building a sense of camaraderie within the ERG is helpful. 

“Having someone from Latin America leading an ERG group at Elastic is a way to show the community that they’re also represented in the company. People can identify with someone when they have something in common. In our case, we have the same roots.”

And having that community that is empowered by the company is important, Ully says. 

“It makes me happy to see how serious we take this,” she says. “A lot of companies just talk about it. Elastic makes the effort. Our actions match our words.” 

To accomplish their goals and build a community, the ERG has a dedicated Slack channel and monthly meetings to connect, on top of the events they put on. 

As YOU are starts here. Join the Elastic team.