Bronx pharmacist talks Hispanic heritage and career as a pharmacist
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,14 SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020 BTR
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BY JASON COHEN
Javier Maldonado’s fi rst
job was at Mt. Carmel Pharmacy
in Belmont at age 17. Today,
the Pelham Gardens resident
has returned to his roots
and is back working where his
career began.
Maldonado, 37, who is
Puerto Rican and Colombian,
spoke with the Bronx Times
about being in the industry
and refl ected on Hispanic
Heritage Month.
“To be where I am today
makes me very proud to be Latino,”
he said.
He and his brother Juan
were raised by a single mom,
Elda, on 187th Street and
Prospect Avenue in Belmont.
Growing up, he recalled that
his neighborhood was not the
best area.
Elda came to America,
learned English, went to college,
became a teacher and
taught her boys the values of
work ethic, compassion and
ambition. His mom’s ambition
inspired him to be successful.
“She showed us early on
what hard work meant,” Maldonado
explained. “If it wasn’t
for her guidance and leadership
my brother and I wouldn’t
be where we are today.”
Looking for an easy way to
make money as a teen, Maldonado
got a job at Mt. Carmel,
which was two blocks from his
house. He never imagined a
career would begin there.
He started out as stock boy
and then became clerk, management
and did outside sales.
For college he experienced
a “culture shock,” as he ventured
out of the Bronx to Penn
State University.
“I grew up surrounded by
people just like me,” he explained.
“Penn State showed
me otherwise.”
He worked at Mt. Carmel
for a decade and loved
it. In 2009, he left to work on
Wall Street during the height
of the recession.
Maldonado told the Bronx
Times the money was great,
but it did not give him the
same gratifying feeling of
helping people in his community.
So last year, he returned
to the pharmacy and became
director of operations.
“I am certainly grateful
for the opportunity to get into
corporate America,” he said.
“You have to see whether the
grass is really greener on
the other side. I truly enjoy
helping people.
Getting to work back in Belmont
meant so much to Maldonado.
He noted that many
of their customers do not have
insurance or primary care
doctors, so the pharmacy is
quite important to them.
Since pharmacies were
categorized as essential
businesses, Mt. Carmel has
been opened throughout
the pandemic.
“Pharmacies are those
beacons of hope for communities,”
he said. When you close
the doors of a pharmacy it impacts
the patients you serve.
It’s where I had my fi rst job and hopefully where I end my career.”
Maldonado working at Mt. Carmel
during the pandemic
Javier Maldonado refl ects on Hispanic heritage and career as a pharmacist.
Photos courtesy of Javier Maldonado
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