Gina Rivera, #1105, Jacksonville, Florida, is proud of her Hispanic heritage. Her Puerto Rican father and Peruvian mother met in New York and moved to Jacksonville to raise their family. Gina’s road, however, was not easy. She faced hostility over her ethnicity in middle school. Upon entering the workforce, this adversity continued at several companies she worked for.

Then, Gina found Publix — and her life changed for the better. Publix embraces diversity instead of opposing it, allowing Gina to grow as an associate and an individual.

Gina started as a bakery clerk 6 years ago and worked her way up to assistant bakery manager, and she was one of the 1st associates in the contender program at her store. The contender program started in 2018 as a training strategy for associates with the potential and desire to become assistant department managers.

“There is a lot of good information in the booklets Publix gives us on how to deal with certain situations,” Gina said. “When I was promoted, I felt completely prepared because I had been able to learn leadership skills and excellent customer service etiquette.”

Gina always sees the potential in her fellow associates and helps them find that in themselves. As for her, she’s working toward becoming a bakery manager while continuing her career with Publix.

Publix is a family — a big, 250,000-person one — with backgrounds from across the country and around the world. This article is part of a series featuring associates from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and cultures, and we love sharing their successes. We hope our articles help you learn a little more about your fellow associates who make up our Publix family.