“I Hid My True Self:” Three Latina Pharmacists Reflect on Their Careers

ASHP marks National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15) by celebrating our Hispanic and Latino members. We are sharing key resources, including AJHP articles and podcasts, in our Inclusion Center and showcasing the stories of our members.

Natalie Rosario, Diamond Melendez, and Kristal Potter — all of whom identify as Latina — detail early experiences in classrooms and workplaces that threatened to diminish their self-worth — and what helped them embrace their backgrounds and shaped their professional success.

To read their full accounts, along with the stories of more than 20 other professionals, pre-order a copy of ASHP’s Hidden Narratives: Perspectives of Diversity and Inclusion in Pharmacy, expected to publish in late October.

Natalie Rosario
Clinical assistant professor at Houston College of Pharmacy in Houston, Texas

Growing up as a minority (in Kentucky), I felt the burden of representing not only myself as an individual but also my entire culture. I may be the only Puerto Rican person someone knows or interacts with in their entire lifetime. I felt the weight of ensuring I was a pristine ambassador for all Puerto Ricans.

One of the experiences that most impacted my personal and social identity formation occurred when I was in pharmacy school … During an active learning clinical skills lab, I was asked by a faculty member if I was from Texas, to which I responded “no.” Despite not being from Texas, I was then asked if my parents owned a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, Texas, to which I also responded “no.” This faculty member then continued to talk about how it was the best Mexican food they ever had … Due to my brown skin, I was presumed to be from Texas, of Mexican descent, and have parents who owned a restaurant. Independently or in combination, none of those identities are negative, but they are not my identities.

When a person in a dominant group, the faculty member in this case, asked me this series of questions, the undertones said to me, “You’re not from here,” “Where are you from?” and “You don’t look like you belong here.” While these were not explicitly the words said to me, I felt “othered” by being put on the spot. 

It has been an experience that contributed to my passion for creating inclusive spaces for those I interact with. Bringing attention to the experiences that others have faced is one step to help prevent these encounters from occurring to others. Moving forward, I hope that pharmacy education can be a psychologically safer space for historically underrepresented groups and that perpetrators of microaggressions can be receptive to learning and growing from their words and actions.

Diamond Melendez
Assistant professor and director of standardized client experiences at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina

While on Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations, I quickly learned I was better received as a professional student when racial code-switching to white trends and suppressing my identity …  Arriving at rotations with unruly curls accompanied by my modest vocabulary was unfitting around healthcare practitioners. Therefore, I resentfully tamed my hair and tried to present as “well spoken.” 

Throughout my professional career, many times I felt like an outsider because I talked and looked different from my white colleagues. I tried to change my outward appearance, behavior, and speech for others to perceive me as professional and well put together. This approach negatively affected my confidence and my mental health. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self to own who you are and not be ashamed of your differences. I wish I had more self-approval before seeking acceptance from my colleagues. I should have worn my hair in its natural state during interviews instead of altering it with heat and chemicals. I would have refrained from trying to use “big words” and incorrectly phrasing idioms when conversing with peers. I should have advocated for myself and my beliefs, letting my achievements and credentials attest to my value as a team member, instead of not speaking up for myself for fear of being perceived as too assertive for a woman of color. 

When at the workplace, I hid my true self behind a mask of societal normalcy. I should have never allowed societal pressures to dim my light. While on my pharmacy career journey, I wish I had more appreciation of the unique qualities and perspectives I could bring to a team and could boldly showcase my differences. My distinctive background as a historically underrepresented person is an advantage in pharmacy and pharmacy education, not a hindrance.

Kristal Potter
Assistant professor in College of Pharmacy at Larkin University Miami, Florida

When I was in pharmacy school, a series of guest lecturers spoke to the student leaders for a leadership symposium. …  We somehow found ourselves having a conversation about affirmative action. One student said she didn’t think affirmative action was fair because it put white students at a disadvantage. The facilitator, doing his best to navigate this controversial topic, then asked, “Do you think it was easier for minority students to get into college than it was for you?” and she responded, “Yes.” 

As a young Hispanic pharmacy student, this simple yes was devasting for me to hear. I looked around a table of my mostly white peers and secretly hoped someone would speak up in disagreement. We all sat there in silence. In this sobering silence, I started to wonder: Did they think I was only here to check off a box? Did they think I didn’t earn my place at the table (figuratively and literally)? …  I wasn’t there because of my merit; I was there because of my melanin. I felt deflated. I felt unseen. I felt small. I felt reduced to the color of my skin. … The destructive seeds of self-doubt planted inside my brain that day stayed with me for years.

I didn’t realize how formative experiences in pharmacy school would have such lasting effects on my life and pharmacy practice. I am now an assistant professor at a college of pharmacy that engrains diversity in their mission. This commitment to diversity is reflected in their diverse faculty and student population, mirroring the cultural melting pot that is Miami.

When I interviewed here, one of my now colleagues expressed his excitement for my potential appointment as faculty. He said something along the lines of “You’re going to really inspire these students because they can see themselves in you.” I wasn’t sure if he was alluding to the fact that I was young, gay, or Hispanic, but I realize now it may have been all of the above. It was a full circle moment for me.