Vazquez Will Google It

Multibillion dollar companies often receive bad publicity for exploiting workers, polluting the environment, and intentionally misleading the public; as such, corporate social responsibility has been called into question. To be certain, not all such companies are guilty of this, and perhaps there is no better example of a company that “embodies social responsibility” as much as Google, at least according to Jose Vazquez ’15.

Vazquez will begin working at Google headquarters as an associate product marketing manager in September.

A government major and education minor, Vazquez is committed to social change, an interest demonstrated by the topic of his thesis, Turnaround Leadership for Chronically Failing Schools. “In my view, it's all about looking into the community and asking ‘what part can I play to work towards fulfilling a certain need,’” he stated.  In this way, he believes that “Google is a stellar organization and the company's values align with my own. ‘Don't be evil’ is a great mantra to live by,” he explained, “and the marketing team at Google encourages its individuals to ‘do cool things that matter.’”

Vazquez’s past experience with Google has consisted of attending a one-week exploration program in the summer of 2012, a public policy and government affairs internship in Washington DC in the summer of 2013, and as a marketing intern last summer.

The position he’ll assume in September is part of “a two-year rotational program working on the marketing strategy for a certain product.” This position also includes international travel that is meant to help the Team “understand the mechanics of marketing and what it means to market certain products across cultures,” he explained.

Vazquez admitted that although “[this work] certainly deviates from my comfort with public policy and nonprofits, I hope the skills I gain from my position can enable me to work with corporate social responsibility and education nonprofits in the future;” a possibility he doesn’t doubt given that he believes “Google is also the prime example of how corporations can work to make contributions to the local community without exploiting individuals in the process.” In addition to this, Vazquez looks forward to “experiencing all sides of business marketing and working with brilliant individuals who care about [Google’s] users and are encouraged to be collaborative and to create content that makes a positive impact.”

Vazquez noted that the work ethic he developed at Hamilton helped him succeed at Google in the past: “Hamilton prepared me to be an authentic worker who actually cares about the projects that are completed. This mentality helped, as I felt naturally curious and interested in marketing, which allowed me to just explore and learn, rather than be competitive with the other interns.” Beyond the work ethic and writing skills that Hamilton instills, Vazquez stated that, “at its core, Hamilton and the liberal arts lifestyle are helping us realize our passions and be unapologetic in the pursuits of what we hope to learn and become.”