The Faces Behind Our Values: Part 2

At SoFi Technologies, we have 11 core values that are at the center of how we think about serving our members, building our company, and most importantly, how we work together. At SoFi, it’s not just what we do—but how we do it. During the month of December, we take the time to celebrate all of these values and recognize how our employees live out these values to build community and belonging at SoFi. Meet 11 SoFi Technology employees from different teams, employee groups, backgrounds, and countries who share who they are and why our values matter to them at work and beyond.

The second part of our Faces Behind Our Values series will introduce four employees who have put the following values into action: Learn, Iterate, and Innovate, Embrace Diversity, Be SoFi and Galileo Missionaries, and Help People Grow. 

5. Learn Iterate and Innovate - Jade Ye



Jade: Hi! My name is Jade Ye, I'm a Brand Social Strategist, and I lead the SNAP (SoFi's Network for Asians and Pacific Islanders) Circle, which aims to provide a unified voice representing our organization's Asian & Pacific Islander communities. When I'm not working, you can find me reading Booktok's latest recommendation or trying out a new recipe.

During the month of May, SNAP celebrates the value "Learn, Iterate, and Innovate." Together as a community, we learn from the past, iterate based on those learnings, and innovate for the future. We discuss how Asian Americans have historically been mis- or under-represented in U.S. culture. Part of this misrepresentation stems from the lack of understanding that ‘Asian’' is more than East-Asian culture. Asia is large and has many different cultures, values, and traditions, but they've historically been lumped together into one category. We iterate on this knowledge by challenging our Circle to speak up about diversity, challenge stereotypes, and lead by example to support the growth and visibility of the Asian American community. Lastly, we push our members to continue innovating for the future. Our mission statement is driven by the spirit of actively and intentionally promoting awareness, education, and sociocultural advocacy. We work to provide the kind of space where we can all come together to ask and honestly answer the following questions: What can we do as individuals to drive innovation in embracing AAPI cultures? How can we, as a team, encourage/participate/drive AAPI representation in everything we do?

6. Embrace Diversity - Kelzey Jessup



Kelzey: Hi, my name is Kelzey and I’m a Recruiting Coordinator Supervisor here at SoFi. I’m also one of the co-leads of the Pride Circle, our mission is to empower our diverse community to inspire equality for all our people-including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression! Outside of work, I love to unleash my artistic side and create prints and stickers. In fact, if you've attended any queer art pop-ups in Utah, there's a good chance we've crossed paths!

The Pride Circle is proud to hold "Embrace Diversity" as our core value. We believe that everyone deserves to feel valued and respected, regardless of their background, identity, or beliefs. The Pride Circle’s goal is to continue to build a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for everyone, in order for each of us to bring our authentic self to the workplace!

We do this by promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion. In fact, during our recent tentpole month, we saw this come to life through an inspiring event featuring our benefits team. This discussion shed light on the Pride-related benefits offered, with topics like new enhanced LGBTQ+ coverage, our family formation benefits, and leave benefits. We also celebrate LGBTQ+ heritage and culture by coordinating speakers and partnering with LGBTQ+ organizations that honor the history and diverse experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and advocate for equal opportunities and respect for all identities within the company.

7. Be SoFi and Galileo Missionaries - Maria Paula Villacres

Maria: Hi! My name is Maria Paula (better known as Mapi) and I have worked for Galileo, formerly Technisys, for almost two years on the fabulous, fantastic, and fun Talent Team! I'm located in Quito, Ecuador. My favorite activities outside of work are discovering new specialty coffee shops in town, taking long walks with my husband and my beagle Mila, and planning my next trips! 

I'm excited to discuss the importance of our value, "Be SoFi and Galileo Missionaries." This value has a profound impact on my daily work as I have the honor of being the initial point of contact for potential candidates, offering them a glimpse into the unique culture we foster here. Serving as an ambassador for our company is a natural extension of my commitment to living out our values in my daily interactions. For me, it's not just about being the first face candidates see; it's about sharing my personal journey and experiences and how this incredible adventure of working at Galileo has shaped my professional life. Being an effective ambassador requires more than just words; it necessitates embodying the core values. This means not forgetting to smile, even on the gloomiest days, helping others grow, and encouraging them to reach their full potential. I've also learned to run after problems, finding satisfaction in tackling problems rather than avoiding them. It's a privilege to represent a company where these values are not just stated but lived every day.

8. Help People Grow - Samathmika Balaji



Samathmika: Hi, I'm Samathmika Balaji, Sam B for friends here at SoFi! I am the Principal Learning Experience Program Manager for SoFi and Galileo, and I'm responsible for creating content and designing meaningful experiences for Employee Learning and Manager Learning across the enterprise. I have a passion for visual and performing arts, and geek out on design technology, AI tools and software. My extended creative hours involve performing as a professional vocalist and teaching music. I also serve on the Board of an arts and culture nonprofit based in Salt Lake City, UT. My adventures outside of these include culinary experiments in the kitchen and hiking explorations with my pup, Oreo!

"Helping People Grow" is the SoFi Value that is closest to my heart, as it truly showcases the organization's commitment to supporting people in their personal and professional trajectory in deliberate and impactful ways. In most corporate environments that I've been in, workplace growth typically means one thing: vertical movement up-the-ladder, securing promotions and raises. Upon coming to SoFi, I was thrilled to see that learning and growth happen in so many ways. While sometimes it can be hard to see growth in the day-to-day, when our employees look back and reflect, they realize they've grown as professionals through challenging tasks, ambitious stretch goals, ruthless prioritization, and a steadfast commitment to excellence that we all showcase as members of the SoFi family. 

This value is the reason why I chose to do what I do for work, driving Learning and Development (L&D) initiatives for our employees and people leaders. Having led L&D for SoFi Operations in my previous role and now supporting our work in Talent Development, it feels like a pinch-me moment to have the opportunity to demonstrate and live this value every day through my work here, championing learning for my SoFi colleagues and by also showing up in my most authentic self as a SoFi missionary for "Helping people Grow"!

Thank you Jade, Kelzey, Mapi, & Sam for sharing how these values have been put into action this year.