By Sofia Alicastro

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HealthSherpa strongly believes in creating inclusive, equitable spaces, which build trust, respect and a sense of belonging that are critical to our culture and work. We’re excited to feature our colleagues and hear more about their experiences at HealthSherpa, from their first touchpoints all the way up to their tenure and growth. In this post, hear from Agent Support Lead Kino Servín, about previous roles that led him to HealthSherpa, how he shows up as his authentic self, and his love for languages.

What initially brought you to HealthSherpa, and what do you like about working here?

In the past I worked for a grassroots organization that connected Californians to affordable health care. When I found the job at HealthSherpa, it was an opportunity to go back to working with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and helping people make better decisions about their healthcare. At HealthSherpa I help consumers find knowledgeable agents and ensure agents can provide consumer support – only this time, in a national setting.

I come from a predominantly Latino community; lots of folks in the community don’t speak English or have access to resources about the ACA. HealthSherpa really makes a difference for those communities.

What does HealthSherpa’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion mean to you?

Most importantly, it allows me to be my most authentic self. I have a picture of my partner & little brother as my work profile picture on Slack. It helps start the conversation with other people – who am I personally, and who are the people in this picture? I’ve found HealthSherpa extremely open and understanding. When I talk to people here who are interested in learning more about me, I can tell they’re not just asking for the sake of asking – they’re genuinely interested in wanting to know more about me and my life. It’s this kind of culture that has made me feel more comfortable here than I have in any other job.

What are you most proud of in your career at HealthSherpa?

I’m coming up on three years at HealthSherpa and we’re about to enter what will be my third Open Enrollment Period (OEP). I’ve done a lot of things in my time here that I didn’t anticipate. I’ve spoken on webinars, led trainings – things that ultimately help insurance agents figure out what knowledge they need in order to excel in their work.

Overall, I’m most proud of having helped develop a strong knowledge base for agents over the years I’ve worked here. What we’ve built over the crucible of OEP these past few years has exemplified the teamwork ethos that you’ll find at HealthSherpa. To look back and think about what I’ve done here – it’s eye-opening, in a good way. It makes me think, “Wow, this is what we’ve been able to accomplish; this is how I’ve grown.”

What advice would you give to candidates who are interviewing with or applying to work at HealthSherpa?

• Be your most authentic self. We’re extremely personable at HealthSherpa; it can feel daunting, especially in an interview, to come out of your shell. But that’s crucial to standing out.
• Once you’re here, I’d strongly recommend you embrace the unknown. You might have a baseline idea of what the ACA is, but as you dive deeper, there will always be some element of the ACA that you’ll encounter, and you won’t recognize or understand it right away. Those are opportunities to learn something new, and your team will help you figure it out. It’s critical to support each other in our work, so that we can further deepen our knowledge base.

What’s something you’re passionate about outside of work?

I love practicing languages and translating for folks in different ways. I have love both for the languages themselves, and also the learning and acquisition of language skills. For me, learning languages is about getting to know people and their environments. It’s a skill, but it’s also a way to learn more about the world.

I’m bilingual in Spanish and English and also learned Japanese as a child. Later in life, I studied French and German as well. I feel like I can’t quite call myself a polyglot, but at home there are phrases, terms, and whole sentences in Japanese or Spanish even though we primarily speak English- it’s a bit of a whirlwind.

Want to work with Kino and the rest of our phenomenal team? Click here to explore current openings and hear from more teammates at HealthSherpa!