Airman 1st Class Teresa Tracy, 82nd Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician and native of Obregon Sonora, Mexico, has been in the Air Force for nearly two years and is the Support Airman of the Week at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, for the week of Aug. 1-7, 2017.

Most significant accomplishments:

1. Working towards her Associates degree in science at Vernon College and will then transfer to Midwestern State University into the Air Force Nursing Program.

2. Becoming an Arizona certified Phlebotomist and actively volunteers her time when she can to assist the lab.

3. Launched a 24-hour drop box service; executed marketing strategy base wide, improved access, and provided an alternate means to activate patient’s prescriptions.

4. Managed the Medical Groups’ medication support service where she provided prescription availability at time of appointment. She administratively tracked and stocked five dispensing machines providing on site medications, supporting great customer service and efficiency for the patient.

Airman’s story:

“I came from a small family of professors and politicians where I was raised in a stern environment,” Tracy said. “By the time I was five-years-old, I was taught to speak correctly, sit properly, and how to read and do basic math. By the age of 18, my mother decided to send me to Arizona to live with my sister, so I could learn English and further develop my life skills. It was difficult to adapt to a whole new culture, but I am thankful to my sister and the movie ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as this is how I learned English and was able to hold a conversation within three months.”

“I moved back to Mexico for a year to go to college and be a graphic designer which was shortly lived,” Tracy said. “I then decided to move back to Arizona due to the birth of my nephew, and at this moment, I decided to choose a career in the medical field.”

“Months later I met my husband Kevin who is a former Marine,” she continued. “He inspired me with all of his deployment stories that made me have a new found respect for the military, but it wasn’t until I did my Phlebotomy internship at the Phoenix Veteran Affairs Hospital that I made my choice to join the Air Force.”

“I saw how our veterans were being treated and heard their interesting stories,” Tracy said. “When I took the oath I promised myself to always make a positive impact in the lives of our military personnel. My ultimate goal is to continue to serve in the Air Force but in the capacity of a Nurse. I don’t have a role model because I am the kind of person that does not want to follow in someone’s steps, instead I want to learn from others to develop my own path.”

Supervisor comments:

“Airman 1st Class Tracy is an outstanding performer and provides excellent service to our internal and external customers for our 21,000 beneficiary population,” said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Duerson, clinical services NCO in charge. “She receives, prepares and dispenses 163,000 prescriptions yearly with a $5.5 million budget. Additionally, Tracy mediates with pharmacist and counsels patients on appropriate use, dosage, side effects and potential drug interactions.”

“Tracy manages dispensing, rotation, storage of medication stock ultimately safeguarding 1.2 thousand line items for appropriate consumer usage,” Duerson said. “Lastly, she consistently tries to provide the best pharmaceutical care to ensure patients are taken of and have the best experience in our Medical Group.”