Fort Worth is the largest certified Blue Zones Community® in the country. Each month we talk to a different member of our community and find out how they experience well-being in their neighborhood. This month’s featured guest is Steven Mock, Fidelity Cares Volunteer and Principal Data Loss Engineer. Mock was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, but moved to Texas when he was a teenager. The University of North Texas Alum relishes his dual role as cybersecurity professional and community volunteer.

Q: How did you end up at Fidelity Investments?

A: In my senior year at UNT, I was sitting in my Information Security class, and my professor had an alum come in and talk to us about Fidelity Investments and their new hire technology initiative called the LEAP program. That was my first time hearing about Fidelity. I applied to their internship program and was accepted.

Q: Volunteering definitely helps you create a community. What are some of your favorite projects?

A: I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer in many different types of events during the nearly ten years I’ve worked at Fidelity. My acts of service range from painting entire classrooms to building things from scratch, like the beautiful benches we built for the students at Dunbar High School.

Q: You also had the opportunity to work with Texas Health at one of our Fort Worth elementary schools, helping kids to learn to appreciate eating more fruits and vegetables. Tell us about that.

A: We rebuilt these outdated vegetable plots with new, fully sustainable plots. This project was extra important to me because I saw that before the pandemic, kids and their parents used to cultivate together after school. It was something nice and productive that families could do together. When the plots became unusable, that program had to end, which not only meant less access to fresh produce, but families were missing out on that quality time together too.

Q: Why is supporting the community important for Fidelity?

A: All of our volunteer projects connect back to Fidelity’s purpose: to improve long-term outcomes and strengthen financial futures for people in our communities. That often shows up as financial education programming, or as projects that address more foundational needs for students like school transformation days or food insecurity programs.

Q: April is Financial Literacy Month, so you’re extra busy right now. How do you support students?

A: We serve as a resource in what we do best: Providing financial education to increase financial mobility for all, by meeting students where they are with accessible educational opportunities. And helping students understand the importance of cyber security in their daily lives—which aligns with my day job!

Q: In addition to helping in the community, are there other intangible benefits you’ve gained working for a company that encourages volunteerism?

A: Absolutely. Volunteering has so many benefits outside the work itself. I’m able to meet and network with people outside of my immediate team, and it’s allowed me to flex some new skills as well. Unexpectedly, I’ve gained some leadership experience through my work in organizing and facilitating projects.

Q: Your commitment to volunteering is definitely part of your sense of purpose. How do you “pay forward” the company’s investment in you?

A: I believe to my core that Fidelity cares about their employees, and you can see that every day. I was given an opportunity to work at Fidelity because a handful of team leaders saw something in me and helped me. That is one of the main reasons that I volunteer. Sometimes people are overlooked, but what they really need to be successful is just a little help from someone who believes in them.

Q: And you do that for the communities where you volunteer?

A: I try to be that someone to the kids we help at volunteer events: someone that they can look up to, someone outside of their families who believes they can achieve their dreams and is willing to be a small part of their journey. I volunteer to be of service to people.

Learn more about Fidelity’s work in its communities here.

Learn more about well-being and the Power 9 at LiveLongFortWorth.com.