The story behind the smile: Isaias Ríos
Meet Hernando Isaías Ríos Vargas. He is an Amstar DMC Call Center Sales Representative in Cancun. He is also a paramedic with a nursing degree. Providing great customer service and being a great paramedic both come down to helping people solve their problems. And that just happens to be Isaías’ favorite thing to do. So what’s behind his passion for service? Let’s find out a bit more about Isaias and his story!
Q1. Tell us about yourself
I am 31 years old, originally from Cancun. My father is from Mexico City and my mom from Yucatan. I have one older brother and two smaller sisters.
I learned English playing the video games my grandfather gave me when I was a kid. During my free time, I like to read in English, play video games, go to the movies. I am also learning to read in Japanese.
I spend a big part of my spare time helping my sister on her journey to become a paramedic.
I am a paramedic with a nursing degree but I don’t practice either career. Now I work at Amstar DMC as a Call Center Representative in Cancun.
Q2. How did you become a nurse and a paramedic?
When I was a kid, my grandfather became ill. We visited many doctors and none were able to provide a clear diagnosis and cure for his ailments. Sadly, my grandfather passed away a year later. I was deeply marked by this and decided that I wanted to do my part in making people’s lives better. So I decided I wanted to become a doctor.
However, Cancun had no medical school at the time and my parents weren’t able to send me to study elsewhere. That’s when I thought that going to nursing school would be a good alternative.
When I began my internship in hospitals, I began to notice a lot of people stayed alone in hospitals, so I offered to stay the night with them. It was a good way for me to get more experience and accompany people that could feel lonely. I was also able to earn some extra cash that went into funding my studies.
After my internship, I was sent into the small villages in the Yucatan Peninsula where medical help is scarce. This really helped me. I learned so many things.
You’re involved in so many situations and you realize that people need a lot of help.
But my career was cut short. My father was injured doing construction and I had to return to Cancun to help my family make ends meet. After working in several other jobs in the tourism industry, I began working in Amstar as a Customer Service Representative and was later promoted as a Call Center Sales Representative.
Q3. What do you love most about being a paramedic?
What makes me more passionate about being a paramedic is to realize that because of something you did – arriving on time, closing that vein, seeing a small detail that helps solve the issue at hand – that your actions helped your patients come through.
When you help someone, you feel immense gratitude that makes you grow as a person.
Q4. How has your experience as a paramedic helped you with your job, here at Amstar?
There are many similarities between being a paramedic and working at Amstar. Both jobs are really about going out of your way to ensure that the person you’re helping is in the best hands possible. It’s also about being a problem-solver and having the empathy to treat each and every client or patient for that matter, in a unique way.
I like to make people happy, to make that face of worry disappear. Even though I am no longer an active paramedic and nurse, my job as a customer service representative for Amstar allows me to make people happy by helping them make their vacation a breeze.
I wear my Amstar uniform with the same pride I wore the paramedic gown!
Q5. What are your top recommendations for your clients?
When a client calls and asks me about the must-do activities in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, I generally recommend three “classics”, which happen to be three of my favorite things to do in the area!
- Visit Chichen Itza: it’s the most beautiful thing there is to see.
- Visit Xcaret: the shows are spectacular, and the food is delicious. They sure know how to cook.
- Isla Mujeres. If you have a chance to sail to Isla Mujeres in a catamaran, don’t hesitate. It’s INCREDIBLE. I myself love going to Isla, dig my feet in the sand, have a cold beer and watch the ocean.
