This article is sponsored by Sodexo
Women’s History Month, which takes place in March each year, celebrates the courage, brilliance and accomplishments of women across the country. Fundamentally, this special month reflects on the great contributions women have made throughout history.
This year, the Office of Equity and Inclusion is highlighting the working women of ETSU’s dining services, recognizing their hard work and perseverance. This includes women employed in retail dining, Treehouse Takeout, Roger’s Buc Mart and the dining hall.
Penny Hughes, a long-time dedicated Sodexo employee, says she loves what she does and feels very accomplished in her work.
“Some of the students that have graduated still remember me. Sometimes the students come back to see me,” said Hughes. “My husband and I had lunch with a former football player on March 19th. That was a great joy.”
Hughes, now 71, is grateful for her ability to feed students for so many years and hopes to keep doing so for as long as she can.
Sherry Burrell has worked for dining services at ETSU since 2003, originally beginning her employment because a friend of hers recommended it.
“It’s been a journey, but I enjoy the fast pace of it,” said Burrell. “Most of the time, we have pretty good days here.”
Burrell says one of her greatest accomplishments in working for Sodexo has been learning the operations of each dining location on campus. In her opinion, Starbucks is the most challenging position to learn, but she enjoys the busy environment.
She feels that she is appropriately recognized and appreciated in her position and that she has never experienced any intolerance in her employment.
On-campus Subway employees Tammy Hudnall and Kaylee Clark-Burtt concur with this, saying that they feel properly appreciated by students and staff alike.
Melissa Owens, a baker for the dining hall, began working for Sodexo because she loves baking and enjoys it more than cooking. She says she enjoys working for Sodexo and loves everything that she does.
Owens tries her hardest to ensure that she uses as much food as she can without any waste, while also baking foods she knows students will love. In the food industry, she says, food is the equivalent to money. So, she has to be aware of what she has on hand, what she needs and what is being wasted.
“From the start, I have felt appreciated for my hard work. It is not about being male or female but about the work we do,” said Owens.
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