What is your official title?

Food Service Worker.

How did you come into this position?

I have been here at the hospital for three years, but I have probably close to 30 years of experience in foodservice. I really like it a lot. It’s never the same, with some days being challenging and some not as much, but I like the interaction with people, and food, because people love food. 

How did you end up working at the hospital?

A former co-worker from a different job came to the hospital and had been encouraging me to come to the hospital for almost a year, and I finally did, so here I am. 

What’s it like for you to serve workers, patients and their families?

Most of the time it’s really great, but sometimes you see how rough it can be for your clients, especially people who are not from here and they don’t have anyone. So I feel like it’s really important that they see someone else who cares about them. 

Sometimes life is really hard, so I try to make sure people have a good interaction with me. I’ve been through some rough stuff, and it was nice to know that the kid behind the counter giving me my coffee knew what I liked, so they already had it made when I came in. That’s just nice, and I think that’s really important. Especially right now with everything that’s happening in the world, and this pandemic. So to me, it’s really important and I feel like you should leave everything better than you found it. That’s just my personal philosophy and how I approach everything.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I come in, greet everyone who is already here. I come in at 5:30 a.m., I gather my supplies, look around and see what needs to be done and what I can get done before we open, and make sure that everything’s in its place. If there’s an error or we’re out of something, I let someone know and get ready.

I try to greet all the people I serve because I think that’s really important part of your day, too. Then, at the end of the day, I just try to be helpful and do the things that need to be done.

What’s the difference been for you working in the new hospital?

I love working in the new hospital. We have all this light and sun and you can see outside. So many people from the community come in. It’s just really nice. Everything is cheerful because there’s so much more light and it’s more open. This is the biggest difference. We are lucky to be in a clean and modern space. 

What are some of your interests outside of work?

I like to kayak and camp. We did some winter hiking with some of the other team members. We probably did 25-30 hikes this winter, and we went through the snow and up the mountain. I like to be outside. I also hang out with my friends and my kids.

What is your favorite part about working at UPHS-Marquette?

My crew. We are just like a family. It’s like having an extension of your family, so it’s really nice and it’s nice to know the people you’re working with and working for. I look forward to seeing people every day.