Working hard for my sisters' future

While the normally idyllic beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina are being buffeted by a severe weather outbreak, Hilton Head’s local grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, is abuzz with activity stocking shelves and loading locally caught seafood and produce.

Behind the fish counter we meet Maria Fierro Trejo, the Manager of the Seafood and Meat Department at the Piggly Wiggly market. Maria is busy displaying the mornings’ fresh catch and providing a rich selection of proteins for the dedicated customers of this family owned and operated supermarket.

With a warm and welcoming smile Maria speaks about her work and how she became the first women to run the stores’ seafood and meat departments. “I work under David Martin who is the owner and he is just great! He has taught me so much in the time that I have been here, and the other people I work with are all so awesome too!” she energetically exclaims.

Maria is busy preparing the fish and meat counters departments with local seafoods available for purchase in the glass coolers. In describing a typical day at work, Trejo says that “every day is different, and everyday my task is to give the best I can,” she says happily.

“My main focus at work here is cutting red meat, breaking down fish, and helping customers at the service counter,” Maria says as she weighs and prices a cut of St. Louis style pork spareribs for a customer. “But I help out all around the store, in the other departments and wherever I can,” she stresses.

“Perhaps a cooler may break down and we have to fix it immediately because we have all this product that we have to maintain. I check our product inventory and place orders if necessary, and make sure all our customers are happy with their cuts of meat and fish,” Maria says.

In discussing her journey to this current job, she speaks about her past when her family “migrated from Mexico when I was three years old. I don’t remember much about Mexico, but I grew up speaking both Spanish and English. My parents didn’t speak English when we first got here, but I learned it at school and they often relied on me for my translation skills,” recalls Trejo who is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient also known as a Dreamer.

Although she is just 22-years old, in listening to Maria speak about her focus in life, three characteristics stand out: her strong work ethic, her willingness to learn new skills and a deep devotion to her family, particularly her four younger sisters.

“I’ve been working since I was sixteen. I worked throughout high school and once I graduated, I didn’t go to college, and just continued to work,” Maria explains.

As the oldest of five girls, Maria proudly states that she “wants the best for my sisters and my whole family. I try to always be around and help my family in doing whatever they need me to do. I try to push my sisters as much as I can to do well in school. I help them with their homework, and encourage them to continue their education, so they feel it’s within their range and an attainable goal,” she says with conviction.

“I think I always knew that I was going to work. I never really pushed myself to do the whole college thing, and my parents never really did either. I feel like maybe if they did, I would have gone, but I think perhaps they thought it was out of range for us as they both had to prioritize work over school for themselves.”

In discussing the skills needed for her job, she says a lot of it comes down to customer service, management, communication, understanding and having the physical strength to move heavy items. Maria also stated that being able to stay calm and collected under pressure when the store is at its busiest times is very important role for her as a Manager.

“One of our most hectic times here at Piggly Wiggly was during COVID-19. People were nervous and on edge. I even witnessed people having a difficult time due to the uncertainty of everything,” Maria recollects of being a frontline worker during the pandemic. “It was a very busy time for us, and we all worked long hours daily. David was a great leader to us all during that time. We all worked so hard and came in even on our days off, if he needed us to.”

When asked what work means to her Maria replies, “work means a lot. Besides family, it’s everything else. Because that’s how you make your money and progress. It is also a big part of how people see you. It’s a big part of your identity too, because when people meet you, the first thing they ask you is what you do for work and often that’s what they use to determine who you are.”

By continuing her hard work Maria hopes she can provide for, inspire and empower her sisters to work hard and to do well. “For my sisters I want the best that they can have. I want them to do better than me and better than my parents for sure,” she affirms.

As more shoppers arrive, looking to stock-up for the rough weather from the tail-end of a tropical storm, the line at the seafood and meat counter grows quickly. With a smile and a wave, Maria goes behind the counter and starts engaging familiar customers and telling them about the specials of the day.