Remarkable Women 2024: Michele Picuri
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – In celebration of Women’s History Month, 18 News is highlighting four local women who inspire, lead and forge the way for others. This week we meet Michele Picuri.
Michele grew up in Cortland, Ohio before she moved to Southern Ohio to attend college at Cedarville University. While there, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies. After college, she lived and worked in Dayton, Ohio for 15 years before moving to Columbus.
Eventually, Michele moved to New York where she currently resides in Painted Post. Now she is a care manager with the Monroe Plan for Medical Care.
“We serve the underprivileged and underserved population by connecting them to community agencies and resources they may not have knowledge about,” explained Michele. “We also connect them to resources for housing, clothing, food and medical advocacy.”
Another responsibility of Michele’s job is to set up transportation for these individuals to get to their medical appointments. Michele oftentimes goes above and beyond to help out her clients. She spoke about one situation that occurred where one of her client’s vehicles broke down. Michele personally drove a document that was time-sensitive to Waterloo on a Friday afternoon, despite it taking her past her usual work hours.
“We advocate when we’re needed, we want them to be healthy and happy,” Michele said.
Michele has always loved lending a helping hand. She expresses that one of her favorite parts about her job is watching the people she works with grow as individuals.
“You give somebody the resources and tools that they need, and they just blossom. I’ve worked with a lot of my members now for well over a year. I have learned so much from them,” expressed Michele. “They feel like they’re weak but they’re tough. they’re incredibly strong. To see them get knocked down and then pick themselves right back up, I’ve learned how to be more resilient thanks to them.”
While Michele has proven herself to be an inspiring individual, she says she is beyond thankful for her co-workers who are equally as invested in their work as she is.
“My colleagues do the same thing as me. They go above and beyond. It’s because we love what we do. I deserve this as much as they do.”
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