Connected Together is a periodic blog column that features Teammates from around the CRx community. By engaging in open discussion with #humansofCRx, we aim to provide insight into unique career paths, personalized perspectives on job roles, and insight into Teammates' motivations to drive our purpose of breaking down barriers between patients and prescriptions.
Dazcity Centeno, Benefits Investigation Specialist, opens up about her favorite “crafty” hobbies, her experience as a C.O.R.E. ERG member, and the importance of recognizing Hispanic heritage.
How did you get here today, career wise?
I've worked a crazy, crazy variety of jobs. I moved around a lot. I actually used to work at Boston Logan Airport, where I was one of those people who held up a sign with a passenger’s name on it. I worked in warehouses, I worked in the food industry and before I came to ConnectiveRx, I was a supervisor at a bank. My fiancé and I relocated to Pittsburgh and I’m pretty adaptive, so I was simply looking for something that I could do long-term that offered career growth. I ended up being hired by ConnectiveRx for a contractor position, and I’m happy to say that when our contractor season was over, I was one of the first people offered a full-time position.
What’s your role at ConnectiveRx?
I am a Benefits Investigation Specialist, we call it “BI” because it's easier! If I was explaining the job to my young niece, I would say, “Do you know how you watch these commercials on TV for medicine? And it always says contact your doctor if you need help affording your medication?” I get to say, “Well, that's what I do. We’re the people that you call for that.”
What keeps you inspired in your role at CRx?
Personal experience and honestly, I take a lot of drive from the people around me. I did actually have to go through my own medication therapy journey with step therapy, which I didn't even know had a name until I started working here. I had to fight with insurance companies when my dad got into an accident. From that experience, it's built me up to be able to do what I do here.
What keeps me motivated aside from my personal experience is the people who are here with me. We're all doing different jobs, but we have the same goal – to help people who can't do it by themselves. Being surrounded by other people who are in the same position you are, whether or not it’s the same job title, makes it a lot easier to come in every day.
And it doesn't hurt anyone to have a coworker who's also your hype man! Somebody to cheer you on and listen and support you. We’re all in this together.
How have you built a community with your colleagues at CRx?
CRx is one of the most diverse places I've ever worked, which is very cool. There's a lot of people from different walks of life here and I'm someone who wants to be the ear to listen, to know about people's day and how it’s going. My little superpower is that I like being there to listen.
And that's the best part about getting to make your own little family here; you kind of get to sneak your way into their lives, and you know more about them and their family.
And I’m also a member of our C.O.R.E ERG. I absolutely love C.O.R.E, I try to get involved, even if it's just popping into like events, just to see people. It’s probably one of the best parts of being here.
As a member of C.O.R.E, in particular, how do you feel about that experience and how that ERG group has really helped you?
I'll be honest, it's helped a lot. When I transitioned from contractor to full-time employee, I shared with one of my supervisors that I come from banking, a really cutthroat industry where people who look like me were not in supervisor positions. And the first thing he said was, “let me introduce you to Tramaine” (Hendricks, one of our co-chairs for C.O.R.E). He said he could help by connecting me with a proper resource to explain that that is not how it works here, and he brought me to Tramaine’s office with a couple ladies who worked with me on my floor. She introduced us to C.O.R.E. and I was like, this sounds awesome! And from there, I went to almost every meeting that I could. I was hooked!
The natural hair campaign video project with C.O.R.E. was crazy in the best way. It was something I’d never done before nor thought I would do - I don’t even take selfies - but to be a voice instead of an echo was something I never thought I could do the way I did in the video.
From your experience with C.O.R.E, is there anything that people can do to amplify their voices and encourage them to join our ERGs?
I would have to say, and I know it's going to sound silly, but it's something my dad would tell me. He would always say, “speak up and say it with your chest.”
If you have any experience, you should share it whether it's good or bad, because it's not always good. And that's why I like C.O.R.E., we're so human together. This is your time to have a voice, to come forward because there's probably at least two or three other people there who have been through something similar to you and can relate to you.
Does your Hispanic heritage resonate with you?
Yes! My Hispanic heritage does resonate with me on a deeply personal level. My family is from Puerto Rico. My father's side is from Patillas and my mother's side is from Caguas. I'm second generation here but the first in my family for many things, like graduating early and having higher education. I recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a beautiful celebration of Latino artists, inventors, innovators, writers, and icons! We cannot forget the amazing food cultures as well as the historical impacts that Latinos have had on both the fashion and music industries.
Why is it important to honor Hispanic heritage?
It’s important to me to honor Hispanic heritage because it pushes us Latinos to the front of the stage and lets the world shine a spotlight on how beautiful and unique each Spanish speaking culture is, and the contributions we have made to our communities. For what feels like a short moment, we abandon all stigmas, claim our heritage, and happily embrace who we are as well as all the beautiful cultures we come from and were raised in.
How does your career impact your personal life?
You don't know what kind of day people are having. If you're kind and you are authentic to yourself, it makes things so much easier. It's so much easier to just not have a guard up here, and I think I take that home. I noticed that my patience definitely has increased, and I noticed that I just am generally kinder to people because I don't know the circumstances. I think it's definitely leaked some extra kindness into my personal life towards strangers. You have to have compassion to do this job, especially on those really hard days. But to be able to carry that compassion home with you just makes you a better person.
When you’re not working, what are we most likely to find you doing?
You can definitely ask anybody who's worked with me, I bake instead of going to therapy because it's cheaper 😊, so I am a baker. I love to cook. I love to experiment with food, and I like to feed everybody here what I make because I'm more interested in cooking it than eating it, so I love bringing in baked goods.I also love to read. I love to crochet. I think secretly I'm just an old lady in my heart! But it's OK to just relax and do something useful and make something with your hands, especially when everything is so quick today. I like the thought of just taking the time to make something with my hands. I'm probably crafting, baking, reading, or telling really bad Dad jokes outside of work.