Getir employs thousands of employees worldwide. That’s thousands of men and women with extraordinary lives, stories, and experiences to tell. 

Today, we are sharing five of those employees’ stories…

Capturing Our True Selves: Brandon St. Jean

We knew we wanted to capture portrait photos of these employees and knew that we wanted the photos to look good. Not just passable or “good enough”, but good.  To do this, we needed a photographer with incredible portrait skills and the rare ability to capture his/her subjects’ true selves.  
 

Our dream became a reality when we linked up with the incredible Brandon St. Jean. Brandon is a Brooklyn-based photographer that specializes in capturing a moment in time through portraiture and editorials.
 

Take a look at some of Brandon’s previous work on his website & Instagram (@brandonjstjean) and you’ll see what we mean.

So we headed out with Brandon to various New York neighborhoods to meet five Getir employees and capture their own personal stories. 

Milany Texidor

Daughter, Sister, US Army Veteran, and Getir Rider Captain / Lincoln Square Store, NYC

To say Milany Texidor has had an impressive life is an understatement. She, her mom, and her sister moved to the States from Puerto Rico when she was young and moved into a shelter. As the eldest daughter, Milany grew up quickly and stepped in to make sure that her little sister was taken care of. Shortly after graduating high school, she became a mechanic in the US Army and cross-trained to become a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) NCO - meaning that she worked in chemical defense. She was deployed to Germany and had to adjust to being away from her mom and sister, who she is still extremely close with. Read more about Milany’s incredible journey as we unveil these stories on our @getir_us Instagram.

“So me and my mom, we came from Puerto Rico to New York. We went straight to a shelter. Shelters are so hard. I ended up seeing my mom breaking down. So then being the oldest daughter, I was like, ‘No, we got this.’ I grew up a little too early, but it did help me out because it humbled me a lot. It helped me become the person that I am. I'm really close to my family, it's just me, my mom, and my sister.

Right after Highschool, I was stationed in Germany for almost four years. I was a mechanic and I ended up cross-training to become a CBRN NCO, which is for chemical defense. At first, it was very hard because it was my first time out of the country without my family. I'm very family oriented, so it was hard to adjust. But then I met a lot of good people there. A lot of nice NCOs, and a lot of mentors.

So everything that I learned from the Army, I take with me at all times. In terms of leadership, it's more about understanding your team…having compassion, and empathy, because there are times when people have rough days. So it's not all about work, work, work, work. You could be like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ You got to talk to them, make them feel good about themselves because that's something that can help a lot for other people.”

Akeem Sims

Artist, Basketball Player, Model, Dancer, and Getir Rider & Packer / Park Slope Store, NYC

Dancer. Model. Designer. Akeem Sims is the ultimate creative. He brings infectious energy everywhere he goes and is always on the lookout for new creative outlets. So far, this has led him to the audition stage of So You Think You Can Dance, tennis courts at the US Open, and casting calls for NY Fashion Week. Read more about Akeem’s story on our @getir_us Instagram.

“I love creating and collabing with people. I'm designing my own shoe—I like drawing, sketching and I'm trying to get into graphic design. I model too! When I was like 18 I almost got signed to this agency, but I didn't do it because I was in the midst of playing basketball and I wasn't sure if I wanted to just continue playing basketball or just model. So I stopped modeling. And then, yeah, now, I'm heavy into modeling.

Oh, I dance too. I auditioned for 'So You Think You Can Dance' maybe in 2018? I only knew one person in the group and I had to learn the dance moves in like two days.

My story is still being written. But, for now, honestly, I'm just a creative, fun type of guy. I want people to have fun. I'm a big kid too. At 80 years old, I'm still going to be watching cartoons.”

Ramon Lara Lucas

Photographer, Entrepreneur, and Getir Rider Captain / Upper West Side Store, NYC 

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Ramon Lara Lucas loves New York, loves writing, loves photography, loves art, and loves music. He is a portrait photographer himself and is passionate about telling people’s stories through photographs. We were lucky enough to flip the camera around and get a glimpse into Ramon’s life. Read more about Ramon’s story on our @getir_us Instagram.

“So I was born in the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 but raised in the city of New York🗽. The Bronx to be exact. Not going to lie, I love New York. Despite all the different things we see and go through, New York is a place you have to love because of its diversity.

Riding through the city of New York has always been my passion since I was 14 yrs old. Seeing what goes on in our community from Washington Heights to Spanish Harlem and from Spanish Harlem to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. You see it all. The people, the food, the music, the vibe, and the spectacular cultures throughout the city. It amazes me how much I can see; in one day. Its art. Which is another passion of mine. Telling people’s stories through the lens of a camera. I‘m an aspiring photographer & I currently own a Canon 5DS, which is a great camera. I’ve been doing photography for about 7 years now & I mainly do portraits. My favorite place to be at and shoot is in Dumbo Brooklyn, by the Brooklyn Bridge."

Fere Bamba

Soccer Player, Chemistry Student, and Getir Packer / Murray Hill Store, NYC

Getting a Chemistry degree is hard. Getting a chemistry degree in the middle of a pandemic with no actual face-to-face interaction with your professors is even harder. However, that hasn’t stopped Fere Bamba, who is finishing up his third year of college in the hopes of becoming a Chemical Engineer. 

Splitting his time between New York City and Ivory Coast as a child, Fere is fully fluent in French as well. Read more about Fere’s unique childhood, passions, and dreams for the future on our @getir_us Instagram.

“After kindergarten, I went to school in the Ivory Coast. I was living there with my great uncle all the way until 12th grade. My parents wanted me to become bilingual, and they wanted me to have cultural values back home. So I was there with my great uncle, going to school, and coming back for the summer. It worked! Now I speak fluently in French.

I'm in college now, in my third year going for chemistry. I hope to become a chemical engineer. It's really stressful, the chemistry courses. It's harsh, but I'm doing it! Especially with the coronavirus, I wasn't able to see the professors.

In my spare time, I'm just working. Whatever time I get, I'll just wake up, and work. It permits me to stay active with school and stuff. We're New Yorkers, we do this all the time.

What motivates me? I love myself—when you wake up and you first splash fresh water on your face and you clean your eyes and look at yourself in the mirror. Please love yourself.”

Taquasha Hart

 Mom, Chef, and Store Manager / Lower East Side Store, NYC

Taquasha Hart is a force to be reckoned with. In her first three months at Getir, she was promoted from a rider to a shift lead and then to a store manager in just a few months. She is passionate, driven, and determined to create a great life for herself and her teenage son. Read more about Taquasha’s Cuban roots, passion for cooking, and favorite customer interaction on our @getir_us Instagram.

“Well, my name is Taquasha, I was born and raised in Harlem. I'm a single mother to one, he's 13. We just celebrated his birthday!

With the Lower East Side, I love working here, because it's so family oriented. Everybody is just outside, hanging out. They're all vibing. Great vibes are always a good thing for me...the neighborhood is just inviting. Period.

I started at Greenpoint as a rider. I think my favorite moment there was the fact that I felt so comfortable riding around the neighborhood. One of my favorite memories was when a customer I saw four or five times a week gave me a gift because she knew it was my birthday!

So, I started up as a rider, and then I went to shift lead, and now I'm a store manager. A month in each position, I am so eager to learn.”