Jan. 15, 2008 issue

Even before I came to Eastern, the idea of constantly having young people around was very appealing to me. I have a friend who worked in the ICT department years ago and I remembered that she always seemed so happy. I believe being around young people and keeping up with what's important to them helps me to keep a fresh perspective on life.

I was initially hired as a temp to work in the provost's office. Then, I had another temporary assignment in the music and dance department before joining the foreign languages and bilingual studies department as a secretary.

I've been here for three years now, and I really enjoy being able to interact with the students. We have multicultural students working in our office and I've been able to converse with them and learn about their cultures. I enjoy picking up little things from them, like learning how to say "Namaste", which is "hello" in Indian.

The rapport I have with my co-worker, Bonnie (Taylor), also makes my job enjoyable. Bonnie really deserves much recognition because she makes it worth coming to work each day.

I like helping people. Oftentimes, students come into the office or call the department and they're not sure where to go or who to contact. Rather than sending them all over campus, I do the legwork for them. If I were in their position, that's the way I would want to be treated.

 

---