Aurora Voices with Henry Partida
By: Aurora Team
Tags: Veterans In Tech, Self Driving Cars, Latinx, Life At Aurora, Diversity In Tech

What motivates you to do the work you’re doing?

Henry: The work itself! It’s incredibly rewarding to see our autonomous vehicles on the road and knowing that I had a direct hand in physically building the vehicles. I know every single detail that goes into a build.

I thrive on teamwork and collaboration, which is critical for my role. I love meeting and working with different people. This stems from my experience serving in the military. I was basically on a giant team, and it was awesome. Working as an integrator is actually my method for coping with military separation because it allows me to collaborate and partner with many people.

Can you share more about your military service?

Henry: I served in the US Army for six years, where I worked as an avionics technician. I served two tours in Iraq, for a total of 27 months. Life in the military came naturally to me because I grew up in a home that emphasized discipline, and the military reinforced that value. Through my military career, I gained technical experience and learned to lead diverse teams. A unit is built with individuals from all walks of life and every geographical corner of the country. My squad became my family and I developed lifelong friendships.

Henry was deployed twice to Iraq during his military career; the first time in 2005 (left) and a second tour in 2007 (right).

While you’re no longer serving our country, you’ve dedicated your time to serving communities. How are you getting involved?

Henry: I’m heavily involved in STEM outreach, especially in underserved communities. I volunteer with Science is Elementary in East Palo Alto (Aurora partners with this non-profit). I share with students my journey to becoming an engineer and how they can pursue the field as well. This work is extremely meaningful to me. I want young people, particularly in the Latinx community, to see what is possible for them to achieve since many of them come from similar backgrounds like mine — they are students of color or children of immigrants.

Tell us more about your upbringing and how it inspired your passion for STEM outreach.

Henry: Growing up in the inner city of Los Angeles, I didn’t know a single person with a college degree, let alone a Master’s degree. My parents’ highest level of education completed was sixth grade. Although they stressed the importance of going to school, I didn’t know what path came next following high school. After graduating, I attended community college simply because my neighbor suggested it was a great way to meet people. I didn’t know what I was doing when I got there. I finished my first semester with a 1.80 GPA.

My second semester of community college, I enrolled in an aviation program, and that changed everything. I loved that it was technical and hands-on. From then on, something inside me told me that I could do more and accomplish more. I made the dean’s list every semester after that, and I ultimately graduated with a 3.85 GPA.

I want young people who come from underserved communities like mine, to see themselves in both my struggles and my achievements. I want to illuminate career paths in STEM that they had not previously considered. I want to be that person who they know in their lives with a college and graduate degree.

What advice would you give to a young person who is from a minority or underserved community and interested in entering STEM?

Henry: It’s possible, there are no barriers. The path to a career in STEM looks different for everyone. For some, the path is college, and for others, it’s vocational school. However, it’s imperative to recognize the path early so you can stay focused and avoid distractions that could lead you down less desirable paths.

What other Latinx outreach efforts are you engaged in?

Henry: I’m a member of Aurora’s LatinX group, an employee resource group for the company’s Latinx community. One of our key objectives is to open the pipeline to bring in more diverse talent and engineers. Therefore, we work very closely with our recruiting team and encourage them to expand the pipeline and reach out to different colleges, networks, and people who otherwise wouldn’t have been considered. There is a lot of diverse talent out there.

Who has inspired you in your life and why?

Henry: My parents are my biggest inspiration. They came to the US as immigrants and worked extremely hard to support our family. My work ethic comes from their work ethic. My parents taught me to work hard for what I want.

Henry and his family traveled to Mexico in 1988. Here they are at the Mexico City Cathedral. During this trip, Henry’s father was reunited with Henry’s grandmother for the first time in nearly 20 years after leaving the country.

What is the best thing about working at Aurora?

Henry: This is the most experienced team I’ve worked with. We often see eye-to-eye on implementation of vehicle interfaces (e.g., connectors and harnesses). There is little in-fighting around key decisions because everyone understands what level and performance are needed to deliver on our mission.

Aurora is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. If you’re interested in joining us, visit our Careers page to learn more about our current opportunities.