By Jess Deibert Photo editor
After class or on the weekends you can find me working at the Brew Pub, a job I’ve had since the first week of my first year at Susquehanna.
A large majority of my coworkers are women in college, women with other careers and women with families.
Allow me to introduce you to some of the women who make your food, pour your beer and clean up after you, all for a 15 percent tip.
Carla is a mother of four and a horticulture and biology major at Pennsylvania College of Technology. I’ve seen her work a six-hour shift after being in class all day and immediately start her homework before heading home to do it all again the next day. When I was looking for internships during my junior year, she offered to connect me with friends and customers she knew in the library science field. As college students who claim to be too busy or too stressed, we can all take notes from Carla’s work ethic.
Ashley and Bridget both teach during the day, and without stopping for as much as a breath, head straight to the Brew Pub. Along with Nikki, they keep Friday nights running smoothly, dealing with rushes that last for hours. They have partners, children and pets; people depend on them inside and outside of the pub.
Sara and Heather have supported my many endeavors, allowing me to start a community book club and use my marketing skills on the Brew Pub’s social media and website. They have let me turn this part time job into something that encompasses my passions of literacy and photography.
And finally, Loretta, my supervisor, runs our small but mighty kitchen better than anyone before her. I have never seen someone who works harder than Loretta. I tell people I want to be a librarian when I grow up. But really, I just want to be like Loretta.
These coworkers are all women I can hold political, intellectual conversations with. These are the women who supported my Free the Nipple demonstration last spring, keeping a copy of the article published in The Crusader behind the bar. These are the women who taught me to love my body, my sexuality and my independence. These are the women I feel so honored to know and love.
My time at Susquehanna has been defined by these coworkers, the ones who helped me grow up into the strong, creative leader I am. I would not be the same without these women supporting and influencing me over the past three years.
The next time you’re at the Brew Pub, don’t think of these women just as your servers or cooks. Know that these are educated, intelligent women. And I encourage you all to leave the quiet, safe little bubble of Susquehanna and go meet them.
The editorials of The Quill reflect the views of individual members of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire editorial board or of the university. The content of the Forum page is the responsibility of the editor in chief and the Forum editor
