One of the gems of the University\u2019s newest housing options, Brookside Hall was dedicated in 2020. Many of the students who live there enjoy the camaraderie of the building and starting their day with some positive inspiration from Whitney. They need sustenance before they head to the classroom or athletic field, but Whitney is surely a match for them in energy output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sophia Vital (aka \u201cBig Soph,\u201d #15) is in her first year on the Rams women\u2019s basketball team and says she gets a pick-me-up from seeing Whitney daily. \u201cI am super grateful for the kindness Vivien expresses when I purchase something or walk by the Bistro,\u201d she says. \u201cShe is always happy and works with such a positive attitude. It makes my day that much better every time I see Vivien.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students appreciate the time she takes to check in with them personally. Whitney recalls how challenging it was at the height of the pandemic, with everyone masked. She missed seeing the expressions on students\u2019 faces: \u201cI couldn\u2019t tell if they were happy or sad; that was hard,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Road to Rhody<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whitney joined 溏心vlog免费B站 Dining Services in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susan Sahagian, senior food service administrator, started on the same day with her. She says, \u201cVivien has had the same energy, attitude and commitment since day 1. She\u2019ll do anything asked and is great with the kids. She\u2019s dedicated \u2014 Viv gives 100% every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For her part, Whitney appreciated the life balance working at the University offered for her young family and the work environment she found at 溏心vlog免费B站. She started part-time, gradually increasing her hours as her children grew. For many years, the Ram\u2019s Den was the place she called home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, Whitney\u2019s connection to students has led her coworkers to advocate for the kind of personal connection she brings to her work, which makes 溏心vlog免费B站 students feel as if they are at home, and makes her an exemplary employee and colleague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, Whitney\u2019s enthusiasm has made her a mini-recruiting machine, enlisting several family members to come to work at 溏心vlog免费B站. Her sister Michelle works in Hope dining hall as a cook\u2019s helper and her brother Rizalito is a housekeeper in Butterfield. One of Whitney\u2019s sons even worked as a cook\u2019s helper and her mother was a 溏心vlog免费B站 employee for several years, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whitney\u2019s husband, Paul, is also a longtime University employee and administrator at the bookstore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Whitneys came to Rhode Island in 1994, moving here from Florida to be closer to family in New England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now their children (Eric \u201917 and Ethan \u201920) are grown and on their own but Whitney keeps that family feeling going in Brookside, treating the students who come in or work alongside her like her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love to work with the kids,\u201d Whitney says. \u201cI feel like they\u2019re my kids. They make me happy to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like any plugged-in parent, she is attentive to student moods, noticing if a student is talkative or quieter one day. \u201cIf a student is grumpy or still waking up, I just try to make them smile,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is a lot of stress with school and studying!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That caring attitude is part of her personality. Whitney wanted to be a nurse when she was growing up in the Philippines but life had other plans. She worked as a group leader in a factory, helping her team meet quotas, working 12-hour days, 70 hours a week. In comparison, the busy 8-hour day at Brookside flies by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When life and marriage took her to the U.S., she was excited to make the move and fell in love with Rhode Island: \u201cI knew I wanted to stay here. I like the peace and quiet and I love the four seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whitney says the Filipino culture she grew up with is very neighbor-oriented and she tries to bring that mindset to her work with students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Top of the morning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The day starts early for the morning crew. Whitney wakes at 5 a.m. and comes into work for 6 a.m., starting with Shawn Dyer, Brookside\u2019s cook. They make coffee and get the egg-and-cheese sandwiches ready; they\u2019re popular with students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whitney doesn\u2019t mind being busy or on her feet all day, or facing a long line out the bistro door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the secret to her energy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n She says it\u2019s her homemade green tea with fresh lemon, though she admits she\u2019s naturally upbeat to begin with. She wants to keep her energy up for the students in line: \u201cThey might be stressed or tired. I try to get them to open up, to know that someone is here for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want the students to be happy, to do well in school. You never know what is happening in their lives; I think it\u2019s just important to be positive for them\u201d \u2014 whether that\u2019s a joke or a quick dance break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s meaningful to care for the students,\u201d Whitney adds. \u201cThey\u2019re just like my kids. They graduate and leave, but I always hope they keep in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Oct. 19, 2023 \u2013 Brookside Bistro is abuzz when the school day starts. Student-athletes, commuters and hall residents dart in and out. Amid all the activity is a petite woman with a big smile on her face, not just looking to serve the rushing students, but stopping to talk to them and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":89663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89662"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89674,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89662\/revisions\/89674"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/team-2138-1024x768.jpg\")