The third annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event serves to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region. 

At this year's event, taking place Friday, Aug. 26, Noel Rogelio Aragon will be one of the 40 honorees. 

Biography

Noel Rogelio Aragon has more than 15 years experience as a CPR and Professional Rescuers instructor. 

Originally from El Salvador, he came to Philadelphia for the first in during the summer of 2002 after he was selected to represent the Salvadoran Red Cross in the "Young Ambassadors" program of the American Red Cross.

In his current role as Senior Editor for the VREX Editorial team at Comcast, he and his team provides support for the company's bilingual voice remote back-end systems and services. 

Aragon holds an Associate degree in International Studies from the Community College of Philadelphia, where he founded the College's "Philly Alternativo" project, dedicated to promoting, producing and managing Latin alternative music concerts and was selected to give the student commencement speech at the graduation ceremony. He also hold a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a minor in Political Science from West Chester University. Aragon is currently working on obtaining a master's degree in public administration from West Chester and is set to graduate in December 2022.

As part of the lead-up to the AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, AL DÍA asked each of the honorees a set of identical questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Noel Rogelio Aragon's responses: 

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your professional career? 

Moving to the US meant starting over for me and like many other new immigrants, I had to learn the language, work, study, and be the pillar for my family in El Salvador, both economically and emotionally. I worked hard in the service industry, but I never lost sight of the importance of education, and my love for helping others by volunteering for the American Red Cross. That being said, the biggest challenge for me was finishing school here, it felt so long because I could only take a couple of classes at a time, and there were moments when seeing others succeed financially without the need for a college degree felt discouraging, but at the end, it was all worth it, and proof of that is the fact that I will be completing a Masters in Public Administration this fall and will officially become the first and only member of my entire family from both sides — mother and father — to have achieved the educational title. And by the way, I’m already wondering if I should continue for the doctorate…

What are steps that can be taken to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in your industry?

Making sure that the company culture embraces DE&I as an important aspect of its identity is important, but go beyond writing it down somewhere and demonstrate your commitment to actions that promote DE&I. I’m one who prefers action over words, and that in it itself can improve DE&I in any industry.

Why is it important to do so?

Because DE&I has become an important topic of conversation across industries, and that is great; those conversations also need actions that show true commitment.

What does being a leader mean to you? 

For me, it means being able to take action when needed and guide others towards a meaningful goal. It means to persevere and find the strength to continue to push forward when the cause is right. It means to do more with others and for others.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

On a personal level, I see myself in a position where I’m able to do even more for my community both in Philadelphia and in my native El Salvador, I’ve always been ambitious in life but that ambition includes helping others, I want to have the means and resources to accomplish a handful of projects that I believe can make a meaningful difference for people in both Philly and El Salvador.

On a professional level, I hope to keep climbing the professional ladder at Comcast and grow to the point that in 5 years, I have become a valuable member of the company leadership.

The 2022 AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will take place Friday, Aug. 26 at The Vie at Cescaphe. To learn more or purchase your ticket, click here.