People ask Tannya Romero about her Plan B. She tells them there is no Plan B – the plan is to go to medical school. Spend five minutes with Tannya and it’s hard to doubt her. She’s focused, articulate, and determined.
She came to the Berkshires from Ecuador 10 years ago with no English. She learned the language through the public library’s programs, and earned a degree in biology after attending Berkshire Community College, UMass-Amherst, and Mass College of Liberal Arts.
Along with her part-time work with BCArc, she works in the labs at Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, helping new technicians understand lab protocol and FDA rules.
The goal is to become a doctor in the Berkshires, where the need is great, she said. “The medical profession often doesn’t have the knowledge to work with the disabilities community,” she said, an area she’d like to help improve. Tannya often takes the individuals she serves to doctor appointments and occasionally the hospital, where she witnesses these issues firsthand.
“The medical profession is not always sensitive to the situation,” Tannya says. “Some of our individuals are non-verbal, or maybe they can’t lift their legs, or understand what the doctor is asking. While many doctors show a lot of compassion toward patients with disabilities, it feels to me like there’s no training.”
Tannya didn’t always plan to work in the field of disabilities. She took a course at Berkshire Community College on the history of disabilities, which she found compelling. The class required her to explore a service provider, and she chose BCArc. “It’s an intriguing community and I’ve learned a lot here.”
At first she felt intimidated. She moved around to the different houses, learning the range of challenges and opportunities with the Agency. “I wanted to learn it all, and I liked creating my own schedule.”
Today, after five years of working at different BCArc homes, she works at one house in Lenox. “I chose this house. I like being here. When I’m not here, they miss me. It’s a nice feeling when I come to work at BCArc.”
Despite the hours she spends working two jobs, she is also preparing for the MCAT, the admissions test for medical school. “I’m just going to keep going. I know I can do it.”
