McKesson celebrates the strength of Latina women and the employees who inspire them.

McKesson's Crystal Castro shares her story on the power of education and mentorship. Crystal serves on the Board of PALMa, McKesson’s Employee Resource Group supporting Latinos and those of Latino decent.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics reports that Latinas with higher levels of education are more likely to be in the labor force and are more likely to earn a living wage. Latinas graduate from high school at lower rates than any major subgroup, and are the least likely of all women to complete a college degree, at just 19 per cent compared to nearly 44 percent of white women. Low levels of education then lead to lack of opportunity in the job market, where Latinas make only 56 cents for every dollar earned by white males.

Paving the way 

Crystal Castro is a living example of both the adversity facing Latina women, and the resilience and courage they show in succeeding despite the odds. “My parents divorced when I was 14 and I was the oldest of five kids. It was my responsibility to help my Mom take care of the family and help pay the bills. Out of high school I worked two jobs and attended class at night.
I never wanted to let go of my commitment to higher education, but I knew I had to keep working.”

Crystal may have sacrificed a college degree, but it didn’t stop her from building a meaningful career and bulldozing through barriers in the corporate world. “I always told myself: I never want to struggle the way my Mom struggled. I never want to worry about how to pay the rent and how to feed myself and my children, and that’s what set my mind to climbing the corporate ladder like I have at McKesson.”

This girl is En Fuego 

In just a few short years at McKesson, Crystal has made a name for herself as a recipient of the GCO award, a champion of community outreach, and an advocate and first adopter of a new policy that allows non-exempt employees to apply for ERG board positions.

“I’m here to work hard and be utilized. At McKesson, being able to show my capabilities and then be given more responsibility is awesome. I believe there are tons of opportunities to raise your hand if you want to do more and learn and grow, because I’m a product of it.”

As a PALMa Board Member, Crystal is focused on helping McKesson’s Latino community grow and thrive. “McKesson’s employee resource groups allow you to bring your authentic self to work. That’s important. PALMa especially embodies this mindset because they see the potential in everyone. My goal on the Board is to help shine a light on the Latino community and
the fact that a Latina woman who grew up in a low-income household can bring the same work excellence as anyone else.”

Sé el Cambio - Be the Change 

Her mission isn’t limited to the walls of her office. Crystal also serves as a mentor and community advisory board Vice-chair for Boys Hope Girls Hope, an organization that offers education support to under-privileged students, from middle school though college.

This year Crystal mentored Vivian, a high school student who graduated last May. Through Crystal’s support, and her own hard work, Vivian was accepted to Cal State East Bay and will be the first woman in her family to attend a 4-year college.

“This is exciting not only for Vivian and her family, but for me. I see a lot of myself in Vivian, and I believe she wants to see herself in someone like me.”

When asked what the motivation is for her hard work, Crystal answers, “There are barriers [for Latinas], but it just takes one person to say, ‘you can do this’. If I had had someone like myself in my life then, I would have absolutely done things differently. Now my responsibility as a woman with the kind of path that I had is empower my daughters, and women like
Vivian. 

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