September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month. To celebrate, we will be spotlighting some of our incredible and dedicated employees, their work and their stories every Thursday throughout the month in a special Q&A. Next, we are spotlighting our very own Technical/Intake Planner II, David Preza! Stay tuned to learn more about our proud Hispanic and Latinx employees every week on our NewsCenter and social media channels.

What advice (personal or professional) would you give to others of Hispanic/Latinx heritage?

• Embrace your heritage. Be proud of who you are and what you bring to those you interact with. Sometimes this is easy and other times it’s difficult, but always be yourself and you will be successful.

What are your passions outside of work?

• My family of course. I also like to explore my community and get involved in helping those in need. This could be food drives, volunteering, or just supporting local businesses. San Diego is one of the best places to live where one can make a difference in the Latino and Veteran community. In addition to VOZ, SDG&E's Employee Resource Group for Latino employees and their allies, I am also involved in another Employee Resource Group, VALOR, which supports veterans’ causes as I am a Marine Corps veteran. Other passions are off-roading, camping, road trips, cooking, eating, going to the beach, live music, street fairs, and supporting local breweries, just to name just a few!

How has your heritage shaped who you are today? And how has it helped impact your career?

• My family instilled in me at a very young age to work hard, finish what you start, own your mistakes, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and go for it. When I was young it was always just my mother, my brother, and I against the world. My mother brought us to the U.S. from El Salvador, where we were born, when we were very young. It was a struggle for her to make ends meet and put up with two little boys. Things slowly got better and better and luckily we had the support of my grandparents to help us along. I owe her everything. I could have just as easily grown up in El Salvador and who knows what my life would be like. This advice instilled in me from my family has impacted my career by leading me to many diverse opportunities all over California, and giving me a very broad and unique realm of experience in the utility industry.

Thank you, David, for all that you do for our company!