My name is Maria Medina, and I’m a retail associate at the Lomita, CA, Post Office. I help customers with a variety of needs each day and do my best to make sure they come back.
An important part of my job is assisting customers with their passport applications. We have between 20-30 passport customers each day, and they often need assistance completing their forms. Other customers need help with mailing and shipping, and buying their favorite stamps.
After my work at the retail window is done, I begin my distribution and dispatch duties. I scan mail and packages that are then loaded onto trucks and dispatched to a local plant. Scanning helps keep the customers informed because they can see if a package is in our office and where it’s headed.
I joined the Postal Service 22 years ago after a family friend encouraged me to apply. I had recently come to the United States from the Philippines and was looking for a place that offered job security and a place to grow.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy reading and shopping, and spending time with my three adult sons. I also love to cook traditional Filipino dishes like adobo.
The Postal Service has been good to me. I’ve received a lot of support through the years. I have always encouraged my friends and family to join me.
“On the Job,” a series on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.