"I like working in the environmental health and safety department – you have the opportunity to interact with people and the opportunity to make a real difference."

I’m an industrial hygienist for Bohringer Ingelheim in Virginia.

How I came to Boehringer Ingelheim

Five years ago I was established in Puerto Rico and was looking for some new opportunities. I was offered a position working at Boehringer Ingelheim here in Virginia, so after discussing it with my kids we decided to just give it a try. At that time it was a very hard decision to leave our country and start over again. But it’s been worth it every single day.

I started as a validation engineer working in the quality department, then was given this opportunity in the environmental health and safety department as an industrial hygienist. I thought it seemed a good fit for me.

My work at Boehringer Ingelheim

I use different equipment and techniques to determine the exposure of our employees to specific chemicals we manufacture or use here on site. We’re very careful to make sure we don’t expose our employees to anything that could potentially harm their health.

I like working in the environmental health and safety department – you have the opportunity to interact with people and the opportunity to make a real difference.

Everyone’s used to seeing me every single day on the site walking around, just asking questions about what kind of work they’re going to be doing each day, what kind of chemicals they might be exposed to. If they don’t see me they’ll call me up and ask if there’s something wrong and where am I? So we have a very relaxed environment here: we trust each other very much and treat each other as family.

Why I work at Boehringer Ingelheim

In Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals we work with the active ingredients that will be used in medication to improve people’s lives. We’re very aware that our products save lives, so we bring passion to our work every day.

As a breast cancer survivor, every time I hear about new research or new medications it gives me hope. At the moment I’m looking for Latino women who have breast cancer in the Richmond area for a local awareness and fund-raising walk. For me it’s very important to participate, not only to engage my family and friends in the activity but also as a way to get in touch with other women who have or have had the same disease.

Boehringer Ingelheim is very committed to the community – we have activities every single month around the year – and the company is very supportive of families. My children are the stars of my life and I love them with all my heart. My son is on a gymnastics scholarship at Penn State University and my daughter got a cheerleading scholarship at West Virginia University. She wants to study to be a doctor.

Here in Boehringer Ingelheim you can go as far as you want. The sky is the limit and they will help you reach your goal.