by Luke Butner

With a student population of around 875, Greensboro College certainly has a lot of mouths to feed. GC has Greensboro College Dining to thank for supplying all the necessary nutrition requirements for most students on campus. Because we wanted to show appreciation for all their hard work, The Collegian had the fantastic opportunity to interview six different GC Dining workers to get their unique perspectives.

Mr. Sherif McNeil has been the cashier at GC Dining for two years. He chose GC Dining because he thought it would be a different approach to his career, as he had never worked in an academic setting prior to working for GC Dining. He further mentioned that GC Dining would be a great place to meet new people, which was very important to him. His advice to struggling students is that everything can get better with time. It was indeed a privilege to speak to such a kind individual.

Mr. James Graham has been a cook for 42 years. However, GC Dining has benefited from his expertise for five years. He said that the Holy Spirit led him here and has always told students that he enjoys being a cook, but he primarily loves building relationships with the students. His advice is to always seek the Lord first and to remember to walk by faith, not by sight. It is always a pleasure to talk with Mr. Graham, as he has a lot of wisdom and loves talking about the goodness of God with students.

Mrs. Sherrie Graham, the wife of Mr. James Graham, works at the salad bar and Deli counter at GC Dining. She has worked at GC Dining for two years and came because of her husband, and she has found that she loves working at GC Dining because of the relationships she builds with the students. Mrs. Graham, in place of giving advice, offered strong counsel or suggestions for struggling students. Her suggestion is to keep your head up, look for the positive and remember your focus. Mrs. Graham is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She loves forming new relationships and talking to students about Jesus. It is always so wonderful to talk to Mrs. Graham.

Mrs. Wendy Thorpe has been a cook for 10 years now, with six years at GC Dining. She initially worked at UNCG’s on campus dining until she injured her leg. After her injury, she moved to GC Dining since she knew it would be better for her health in the long-term. However, she believes it was the right decision as she enjoys the smaller student population since she can make more intimate connections with staff and students. She also enjoys the less overall stress of working at GC Dining. Her advice is to never give up – always take your time and believe in yourself; remember that the struggle does not last forever. Mrs. Thorpe is passionate about her job and forming bonds with the students, and it has been an honor to get to know her.

Mrs. Faith Archie, senior lead cook of seven years, joined GC Dining after she was out of a job. With a three-year-old to take care of, she started looking for work. She stumbled across GC Dining and obtained the job, and she is glad that she took a position at GC Dining since she loves the students here. She was excited to share that they have such a peaceful and positive vibe, and she is very open and gets very excited when students talk to her. Getting to know her was awesome since she is such an outstanding individual. She explained that it feels like she belongs here. Her advice is always to love yourself, and everything else will fall into place with self-love. Lastly, Chief Calvin Gilmore added that Mrs. Archie is responsible for GC Dining’s very famous fried chicken.

Mrs. Maria Rodriguez has worked at GC for over 13 years. She first started as a janitor in the residence halls but very recently switched to dish staff at GC Dining. She switched to dishwashing for one semester because she wanted to pursue something new in her career. GC Dining has been a calmer place to work for her. She said that she wants to see all GC students succeed and become professionals in what they love to do. Mrs. Rodriguez is a very lovely person to talk to, and she does everything she can to help students.

All of the GC Dining employees are charming people. They are all clearly dedicated to their work, and almost all of them commented on how much they love to form close bonds with the students. They are all easy to talk to, and speaking with them will quickly become one of the best parts of your day. So, if you want to get to know these incredible people, all you have to do is say “hello.” For the GC Dining employees who are reading this article, on behalf of The Collegian, we thank you for taking good care of us and being awesome people to get to know.