One might say there are two sides to Hugo Silva, ’20 BA English. If you’ve spoken with him over the phone or through Zoom for your 51ԹϺ website or calendar needs, you’d know he’s the epitome of customer-facing professionalism: calm, courteous, organized.
But if you work alongside him, you'd know he has a wonderfully dry wit, an endless supply of meme-related GIFs for Slack, and is the the Gen Z translator of us older gens in the office. Or, as Silva might jokingly call people past the age of 30: “Vintage.”
Professionally, he is a web communications specialist in the Division of Integrated Marketing and Branding’s Department of Web and Digital Strategy. Outside of work, he is the doting caregiver of two dogs, a collector of vinyl records, and an introvert who may just surprise you by showing up to your social gathering at the last minute.
What are your responsibilities as a web communications specialist?
I’m the primary contact for units that seek to open projects with the web team. Long story long, these projects range from creating new pages to doing full revamps for existing websites.
Once we settle on the project’s scope and goals, I make outlines for the website content (text, photos, videos, PDFs, etc.) to make sure that we’re adhering to best web practices and our website template. Then, when the content is ready, I make copy edits and make sure that everything is up to our standards before our web production team builds everything out.
My favorite part of my job is interacting with my team members. They’ve been so supportive and helpful since day one, and I’m constantly learning new things from them. As an added plus, they’re always down to join me for my morning coffee run (which we refer to as our “Starbucks walkies”).
Tell us about the "object" you chose for your photoshoot.
I have two dogs named Hudson and Juno, and they are hands down the best things that have happened to me in life. Hudson has been by my side since the summer before my second year of college, and Juno came into my life during the pandemic. I shamelessly treat them like babies. They get full-on birthday paw-ties, tag along for Starbucks puppuccinos, sit through Christmas card photoshoots, etc. And they are both probably my biggest personality traits. I cannot put into words how much I love them — they are my whole world.
As a student at 51ԹϺ, you worked for the Writing Center. Are there any skills from that position you’ve applied to your current role?
If I had to only pick two skills, the first would be the ability to give feedback in a way that’s direct but also gentle and constructive.
The second would be the ability to give feedback when the topic at hand is way beyond my scope of knowledge. You know that “this is fine” meme where the dog is sitting in a room that’s on fire? That would be me whenever I’d get a dissertation/thesis on some science-related topic.
The act of writing is very personal to a lot of people, which makes sense because it can be time-consuming and nerve-wracking to put your thoughts down on paper. So whenever I read and edit someone’s content, I do my best to establish myself as a partner rather than a critic. This lets me give clients insight into why I’m providing edits related to web writing, and it also gives them space to add context about their unit and provide their own expertise.
After graduating, you worked in marketing and HR positions at two hotels on the Strip. What’s something you learned from those experiences?
Working in the hospitality industry taught me how crucial it is to implement and enforce solid work processes. The hospitality industry never sleeps, and there are so many things that happen all at the same time. This means that you’re constantly putting out metaphorical fires while also trying to fulfill your daily responsibilities and cross items off your ever-growing to-do list. It can be a lot to juggle all at once, to say the least.
I’ve been lucky to have worked with people who really prioritize processes and have made huge strides to establish processes when things are moving a mile a minute. It’s a large lift that takes many strong hands, but when those efforts result in more efficient use of time and a healthier team, it’s worth all the hard work.
If you were offered a free trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Whenever I’m asked something like this, my first thought is always Switzerland. I did a semester abroad during my undergrad, and one of my flatmates, who was from Switzerland, invited everyone in the flat to take a weekend trip to her village. To this day, it remains one of my favorite trips of all time. The landscapes look even more stunning than they do in photographs, everyone was so welcoming, and our final day in Geneva was straight out of a movie. The whole time, I just kept thinking “I can’t believe this is real life.” I’d love to go back some day with more time and a non-student budget.
You work with a large number of campus clients — what advice would expedite the process for those seeking help with web content?
I would encourage all units to do temperature checks for their site every quarter or twice a year. For one, it gives you an opportunity to address content that may need to be updated or can help you identify issues before you receive a complaint from a user. Second, it can save you a lot of time and work in the future.
Revamping pages and sites can be a simple task if your edits are minor, but if your pages are looking rough or your whole website structure is not strong because it hasn’t been maintained, it’s going to be a heavier lift and time commitment.
How do you like to relax?
When I only want to focus on being in the present moment, I love to spin a good record at home. I started collecting vinyl records when I was 14, and my love and appreciation for the format only grows deeper as the years go by.
For one, it’s a more intentional and intimate way of listening to music because you have to be an active listener rather than a passive one. Second, I’m really big on album artwork and package design, so getting to physically hold the music in my hand makes me geek out a bit. It’s a hobby that sometimes pains my wallet and will definitely cause some transportation issues if I ever move, but nothing beats letting the needle drop and entering into a blissful, musical void.
Favorite TV show/movie/fictional character of all time?
I’m the most indecisive person in the world, so it’s hard for me to pick an all-time favorite movie. But since Día de los Muertos just passed, I have to list Coco as a movie that I really enjoy and am always impressed by. My family members and I think it does a phenomenal job at respectfully portraying our culture, and it definitely pulls at the heartstrings. It’s basically become a mini tradition to watch that movie after we set up our ofrenda each year.
Tell us about the last concert you attended?
I just saw SZA perform at T-Mobile Arena for her SOS Tour. When she first announced her Vegas stop, I told myself that I’d buy tickets as soon as they were available. Then, the day tickets went on sale, I checked Instagram at night and saw that my friends posted that they scored tickets — 10 hours ago. I had totally forgotten about it, and by that point, there were only resale tickets or nosebleed seats (which aren’t bad, but I’ve been lucky to have seen many artists up close, so I’m a bit spoiled).
I ended up finding some non-resale tickets at a decent price a few days before the show. It had been a pretty busy and long week, so I wanted to do something to distract myself from regular life. I’m glad I went because she put on a killer show. The production and visuals were fantastic, each song flew into the next seamlessly, and it was all around good vibes. I may have let out a few fan-boyish “aaaaaaah”s during the set, which may or may not have been captured in my video recordings.
What’s a song that best represents your current life philosophy?
I always have at least one comfort song in my “On Rotation” playlist, and that’s currently “Begin Again” by City and Colour. It’s the closing track for Dallas Green’s newest album, and I think it does such a beautiful job at summing up the complex relationships between loss, grief, and acceptance. My main takeaway from the song is that no matter how heavy or unfair life can be, you can still be present and find peace by clinging onto moments of light and love.
If you could go back in time and give advice to past you at any age or situation — what would you say to younger Hugo?
I would tell myself to be a little bit more “for real” with what I wanted to pursue as a career. I spent my first two years of undergrad trying to follow a medical path, and even though I should have seen my chemistry grades as a red flag, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it work out. It led to a lot of burn out that wasn’t completely necessary.
Growing up, I heard a lot [of opinions] against studying the liberal arts or pursuing careers that were more artsy. I even remember an acquaintance telling me that I was making a mistake by becoming an English major — now that was an awkward car ride. However, up until this point, I have proven to myself that I can make it far when I fully lean into my interests and have confidence in my strengths/passions. I think I’ve done pretty good so far, so we’ll see where the rest of the journey takes me.
