Meet Camille Mercado, a final-year PharmD candidate at the Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy and a member of the 2023–2024 APhA–ASP Communications Standing Committee (CSC). Camille was recently interviewed by fellow CSC member Cristian Rodriquez about how important Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) is to her both personally and in practice.
Cristian: What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?
Camille: It’s an opportunity to celebrate how beautiful my culture is. In a world where we are usually divided, it’s nice to have a month where these differences are celebrated. I have always been proud of being Puerto Rican, but I became even more conscious of it when I started pharmacy school and moved to the United States to do it—especially knowing that only around 11% of students in pharmacy school and 5.6% of pharmacists are Hispanic or Latinos. On top of that, I am the only person in my immediate family who has had the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate degree. My successes are not only mine; they’re also the success of my parents, my grandparents, and everyone who came before me and paved the way for me to be where I am.
Cristian: How does your heritage influence your practice?
Camille: My heritage influences my practice tremendously. Puerto Ricans are known for being friendly and joyous, which is something that I’ve been told translates into my care. My heritage and my upbringing have taught me to be compassionate and understanding with my patients, to understand that some patients just need to talk and be heard. When patients feel a sense of comfort with you, they’re more willing to share their stories and worries. When they feel like this, they’ll be more cooperative with treatment.
Cristian: How does being bilingual help you care for your patients?
Camille: Being bilingual helps me communicate with a wider range of patients. It’s incredibly humbling to see a patient light up and smile just because you speak the same language as them. It’s something that seems so trivial yet can make such an impact in patient satisfaction and treatment. There are patients who may speak both English and Spanish, but understand Spanish better. Being able to provide them with correct information in their own language without the need of family translators makes a world of difference.
Cristian: How will you and/or your chapter celebrate?
Camille: My chapter will be doing a Hispanic bake sale to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15, 2023. The idea is to present and expose students to different desserts from Hispanic cultures. For example, virgin coquito from Puerto Rico, guava pastelitos from Cuba, and more. We’ll have students from different cultures bring in some of their common desserts in as well so that we can represent as many Hispanic cultures as possible.
Cristian: What is something you wish to share with student pharmacists about your heritage?
Camille: In Puerto Rico, we call ourselves Boricua. The word Boricua comes from Borinquen, the name given to the island by indigenous Taínos, who inhabited Puerto Rico for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrived in 1493. The art, music, dances, and traditions of Puerto Rico are expressions of this unique blend of cultures that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Being Boricua is much more than a name; it’s a state of being. You see it in the food and the culture. It’s a state of mind and a way of life, embodied by our proud, passionate people. We’re known for our record-winning musicians, our breathtaking beaches, and our delicious food. Our Spanish is our calling card, between our slang (Spanglish) and our way of pronouncing words that just float right out of our mouths almost like a song. You can always recognize a Puerto Rican a mile away: just look out for our flag, listen for our music blasting from a speaker, and listen out for the nearest wepa (an exclamation used to express excitement).