Friday Faces: Support Staff

Happy Friday dear readers. How is it Fall already? Today we would like to introduce our wonderful Support Staff who keep everything going behind the scenes. Send them some love when you see them walking around the campus or in the office. We couldn’t do it without them!

For last weeks Friday Faces on the Leadership Team, please click here.

What was your favorite hobby you picked up during the pandemic and why?

Heather: I didn’t pick up anything new, but did expand on my love of cooking and getting creative if I didn’t have an ingredient a recipe called for.

Connie: My mom taught me how to crochet when I was 6 years old. I had a large supply of yarn that was stored away for years until….COVID hit! Needless to say, I have once again learned why I enjoyed crocheting so much!

Sam: Hmmm that’s a good question…I definitely did not pick one I dabble with a few. I did acquire a few more house plants, tried my hand at bread-making, and picked up watercoloring. I enjoyed watercoloring the most because I found it relaxing and meditating.

Michele: Because I was working from home I was able to enjoy walking around the lake at the park across the street on lunch breaks!

Sharon: Soaking up the sun. It’s not really a hobby, but I often found myself just needing to get outside and catch a few rays. There’s a perfect sunny spot in my backyard on some benches my husband made (woodworking was his pandemic hobby) and sometimes I could sneak out there and just enjoy a few minutes of sunshine and silence.

Debbie: I learned how to make a sourdough starter and bake homemade sourdough bread. Once I got it down, I started baking a sourdough loaf every Sunday. Throughout last year, I saw Facebook posts of friends who had been baking bread. Plus, I follow Hugh Jackman on Instagram, and he was posting pictures of these beautiful loaves of sourdough bread that he had made. So, I thought to myself, if Hugh Jackman can do it, so can I!

If you could be any Roman or Greek god/goddess which one would you be and why? 

Heather: I would be Artemis because she is a protector of young girls and animals.

Connie: If I could be any Goddess I would choose Hera! We both value marriage and a strong family bond. As Hera, I too have a temper if pushed too far. However, I do have a high tolerance and can take much more than the average individual before I reach the point of no return!

Sam: I have always liked the Goddess of Wisdom & the Patroness of Handicrafts, Athena. A lot of what Athena stands for I value as well, critical thinking, reason, and skill. As I also enjoy working with my hands and Athena being the Patroness of handicrafts is another reason why she is my favorite. The items she created were useful and I value efficiency and effective design. A symbol associated with her is an owl which is one of my favorite animals.

Michele: Diana – that’s my middle name, and my mom named me after the goddess Diana, who was her favorite! I like that Diana can use a bow and arrow, which is something I would like to learn to do.

Sharon: That’s a tough one. I think I’d go with Athena, she was the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. I don’t know about the war part, but I would certainly appreciate more wisdom. (And perhaps with that wisdom I could end some wars or at least get my kids to stop bickering.) She was also the goddess of handicraft. I wouldn’t mind being skilled in weaving and whatnot.

Debbie: I would be Terpsichore, because she is the Greek goddess of choral song and dancing. I love to sing, and I love to dance. Here’s an excerpt I found when I was researching her: “Diodorus Siculus writes that her name came about ‘because she delights (terpein) her disciples with the good things which come from education,’ like grooving!”

My first job was…

Heather: I worked for my dad, checking irrigation in the orange groves during the summer. We lived on a 50 acre ranch in Exeter, CA.

Connie: My 1st job was working at Burger King! I think I lasted a whole 2 months. After that I vowed I would never treat fast food employees poorly, as many of my co-workers and I during my short time at Burger King. I also swore I would never ever work in fast food again, so I went back to school and got educated! 🙂

Sam: My first job was a Barista at a local coffeeshop in my hometown. I really enjoyed that job and that is where my love affair with coffee and latte art began.

Michele: Pulling weeds in the parking lot of the apartment complex my parents owned in Denver, Colorado.

Sharon: A sales associate at Stride Rite, a shoe store for kids. It prepared me for motherhood – “Yup, those shoes are too small for you.”

Debbie: A hostess at a restaurant, called Shagnasty’s, in Visalia. I was 17 at the time.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Heather: I would like the ability to hear what others are thinking (but only if I could turn that off & on) because I hate surprises.

Connie: My superpower would be the power of Knowledge Absorption. I would like the ability to physically absorb the knowledge from other people. I would seek the smartest, successful and accomplished people from around the globe!

Sam: Omnilingualism- instantly speak and understand any language fluently. I love learning about different cultures and being able to speak and understand any language fluently and instantly would allow me to immerse myself even more deeply into each new culture.

Michele: I would love to have a photographic memory so I could retain and/or recite all the books I’ve read!

Sharon: I want to have superpowers like Samantha in Bewitched. I want to be able to snap my fingers (or wiggle my nose) and have the laundry fold itself, the dishes wash themselves, and dinner make itself. I don’t mind doing household chores, but sometimes they get so repetitive that I wouldn’t mind being able to get them done “in a snap.”

Debbie: I would love to be able to time travel, so I could experience each stage of history and historical figures that we study at SLOCA. I would love to watch Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel, take piano lessons from Mozart, help Ben Franklin create the glass harmonica, and take sewing lessons from Betsy Ross!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our post today, please check back next Friday for our next Friday Faces!