Entrepreneur

From Immigrant Kid to CEO: Alex Ontiveros' Story

Two teachers wrote letters about a young man Alex Ontiveros didn't yet recognize. At a BILL fireside chat, the SVL founder shares how he became him.

Two teachers once wrote letters about a young man Alex Ontiveros didn't yet recognize. At a BILL fireside chat, the SVL founder shares how he became him.

Alex Ontiveros has kept the same letters of recommendation his entire life. Two teachers wrote them when he was a teenager, describing a young man so promising that UC Berkeley's admissions counselors came to his high school to meet him. For years, Alex wondered who those letters were talking about.

In a fireside chat hosted by BILL's Latino employee resource group, the founder and CEO of Silicon Valley Latino and the SVL Agency shared the full story of how he grew into that young man, beginning with the day he arrived from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, at age six.

The first of his generation

Alex was the first grandchild on both sides of his family, and once his family arrived in the United States, he became what so many children of immigrants become: the translator, the reader of medical and banking documents, a mini adult before his time. What carried him, he says, was the foundation his family in Mexico built early on, a cultivation that gave him the confidence to attempt things no one expected of him.

That confidence was tested. He talks openly about the voices that tell us we are not good enough, and about finally deciding he didn't have to be perfect.

A friend, two teachers, and a thick envelope

No counselor put Alex on the path to college. A friend did, walking him through applications in their junior year. Then came the letters. Two teachers, including UC Berkeley alum Alberto Amezquita, wrote with such conviction that Berkeley sent admissions counselors to interview him in person. He was admitted.

He also talks about what came next, the part success stories often skip. He felt like a fish out of water, left after three semesters to help at home, and later re-enrolled at San José State University, where he graduated.

From Citi to Silicon Valley Latino

After a decade of community and nonprofit board service, Alex became Vice President of Community Relations at Citi, supporting organizations serving low and moderate income communities across the Bay Area.

Of his 20-plus awards, he says the ones that stand out professionally came from the Campesinos project, the body of work that includes the documentary CAMPESINOS: America's Unsung Heroes and SVL's Emmy-nominated commercial, all directed by Joe Poni, the SVL Agency's director and cinematographer. He still remembers being struck by Joe's first cut of the documentary. The award closest to his heart has nothing to do with work: his induction into the Silicon Valley Fatherhood Hall of Fame, which he accepted alongside his children.

In 2011, tired of negative portrayals of Latinos, he founded Silicon Valley Latino, with no journalism background, no publishing background, and no business degree. Just a simple goal: share positive stories about us. That mission grew into the SVL Agency, an award-winning creative agency whose very first client was Cisco.

Creo en Ti

Alex wore a T-shirt to the conversation on purpose. It read Creo en Ti: I believe in you.

"We needed to hear that, and we continue to need to hear that," he said.

He shared two remixes that guide his work. The first, inspired by Maya Angelou: "Love what you do, love how you do it, love who you do it with, love who you do it for." The second, inspired by a line in Rick Rubin's book: "The object isn't to make money, but it's to be in that wonderful state which makes impact inevitable."

And he came back to those letters. After presenting the CAMPESINOS: America's Unsung Heroes documentary to members of Congress in Washington, D.C., he finally recognized the young man his teachers had described.

"That's who they were talking about."

Passing the belief forward

Those letters were two teachers saying creo en ti before Alex could say it to himself. That is the belief Silicon Valley Latino was built to pass on.

Through our #CreoEnTi programs, including fireside chats, College Declaration Day, and the Inspire Higher tour and events, SVL brings Latino leaders face to face with the next generation, so young people can see themselves in people who started where they are. And our Collegiate Cultura Ambassador program celebrates the students, first-gens, and dreamers putting in the work early.

Because every one of us needed someone who saw us before we saw ourselves. Now it's our turn to write the letters.

Creo En Ti. Creo En Nosotros.

Hear it in his own words

Alex's full conversation covers even more: the Latino small business opportunity, how SVL met BILL, and producing BILL's cybersecurity videos. Watch the full fireside chat above, and subscribe to Silicon Valley Latino on YouTube for more stories from our community.

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