Cashier Xiomara Yu Rodriguez, #10, Miami, is motivated to work hard for her family in Cuba. She is determined to prove her potential is limitless, despite being deaf.

In February 2023, Xiomara’s life drastically changed when she moved to the United States from Cuba. While she was excited about the move, the transition was tough for multiple reasons — learning English as a 2nd language and being separated from her family in Cuba was even more challenging because she’s deaf.

“My 1st couple of months in the United States were so hard,” Xiomara said. “I’m grateful for my managers and friends at Publix because they have inspired confidence in me. I’ve grown a lot as a result.”

Shortly after beginning her Publix career, Xiomara was celebrated as an outstanding associate after a customer emailed the customer care department expressing gratitude for their pleasurable shopping experience with Xiomara as their helpful cashier.

“When people smile at me and thank me for my help, it makes me proud,” Xiomara beamed. “I will never forget being recognized by my whole store for making that customer’s shopping experience so memorable.”

As a deaf associate, she hopes to inspire other deaf individuals and show them they can also have a successful career with Publix.

“My biggest inspiration in life is my family, especially my parents,” Xiomara said. “They have always told me that being deaf doesn’t define me. I work hard to help them and other family members in Cuba who don’t live as comfortably as we do here.”

Motivated by her positive interactions with customers, Xiomara hopes to one day become a manager in the customer service department.

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.