She may be quiet and soft spoken, but there’s doubt that Maricor Del Rosario is one strong woman.
Born in Manila in the Philippines and raised in Quezon City, Del Rosario moved alone to Canada in 2004 to continue pursuing her studies to become a pharmacist.
Leaving behind her family and fiancé, Del Rosario successfully completed her studies at the University of Toronto. In 2006 she returned to the Philippines to marry her long-time love, Ringo, and then packed her bags and moved across the country to Williams Lake to work as a pharmacist with Save-On-Foods.
Ringo moved to Williams Lake in 2007 and the couple settled into life in Canada and the lakecity, balancing work and family life while raising two boys, Nathan, born in 2009, and Timothy, born in 2012.
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“It’s not easy to balance everything but I try to prioritize whatever is in front of my plate, with family coming first.”
Del Rosario has been with the Save-On-Foods pharmacy for 15 years already and is now, with hard work, the manager of the pharmacy.
Though she initially studied pharmacy with a long-term plan to become a doctor, Del Rosario said she is very happy with her chosen career and has no plans to change it.
“I like being able to help people and being a pharmacist is a special way to help and take care of people.”
Del Rosario said she is also challenged by the many new initiatives at her pharmacy such as working with dialysis patients and those going through detox.
She finds being a career women has its advantages and challenges
“To be honest, it takes a lot of confidence to do this kind of job,” she said. “Here in Canada, men and women are equal and I can feel that but as a woman you really need to be prepared, confident in what you are doing.”
She believes the gentleness and compassion that women bring to the workforce is an advantage.
Grateful to be in Canada, Del Rosario and her family have no plans of leaving.
“The people here are really nice — that’s what I like the most. And the healthcare system is good too, the way of living.”
Since living in Williams Lake, Del Rosario has fallen in love with the outdoor lifestyle and the family are avid campers. She is also an avid fisherwoman.
“And I love to fish.”
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