By Taylor - October 1, 2022

Finding the smorgasbord of opportunity

Highly effective team

Assistant Pharmacy Manager Meyken Lee Hechavarria, #1326, Bradenton, Florida, came to the U.S. in search of a career and found a family.

Meyken always knew she wanted to do something in health care, but her home country of Cuba did not have all the resources she needed to achieve her goals.

“In 2009, I moved to the U.S. and found Publix,” said Meyken. “I started out as a front service clerk and then moved into pharmacy, after I started pharmacy school. From there, everything started falling into place.”

Although she started as a pharmacy intern during the pandemic, it never swayed Meyken to leave.

“Publix stayed open during the whole pandemic, and that made a huge impact in our communities,” said Meyken. “We all stuck together as a store team, and my co-workers supported me and my goals, even through the worst of it. It was challenging, but it never stopped being a positive environment. It made me feel like I was part of something important.”

After she got settled in the U.S., some of Meyken’s family followed her lead and joined her.

“They saw that I was happy and stable here,” said Meyken. “I even have some of my family working at Publix because I was adamant about loving my job.”

So, what keeps such a promising pharmacist here at Publix?

“The expectation is to take care of the patients’ needs above all else,” said Meyken. “No matter their need, they know they can rely on us.”

Learn more about 4 of our amazing pharmacists!