What year in school are you?
Second-year
What is your major?
English
What area in University Housing do you work for?
Facilities
How long have you worked for University Housing?
I am in my fourth semester working for Housing.
What is your current position?
Custodial Student Supervisor
What do you do in a typical shift?
During a typical workday, I work with my fellow supervisors to design a plan for the day that allows us to complete all of the tasks assigned to us and keeps all of our student staff busy throughout their shifts. After creating this plan, I usually work on administrative tasks such as wages budgeting, shift scheduling, and staff communications.
What are some perks of your job?
One of the main perks of my job is that it feels like a “brain break” from school. I hear from friends with stressful jobs that they become overwhelmed with the combination of work, school, and everything else. Unlike them, I find my job to be a mental break from all things stressful, allowing me to relax while cleaning the building and organizing our administrative tasks.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of my job is spending my shifts with my coworkers. Over the past semester, my team has grown closer, allowing us to have fun conversations at work. The nature of our jobs forces us to be apart for a majority of the work day, but during break times when we’re all together, an interesting conversation always arises! These conversations range anywhere from the proper way to draw a dragon to the exact meaning of the word “cap,” and it usually spins into fun debates. Every workday brings new topics and strange discussions!
What is something you have accomplished in your job that you are proud of?
One thing I’m most proud of accomplishing within my job is the community my co-supervisors and I have created with our team this year. While our custodians all come from a variety of backgrounds and live very different lives, whenever we’re all together, we’re able to connect and have conversations as a group that allow us to get to know each other better. We’ve established a community in which we all can get along, have playful debates and important conversations, and always celebrate each other’s successes, within our jobs and outside our jobs. These connections, I hope, will help our students through the duration of their college career and potentially beyond.
What transferrable skills have you learned?
Being a Custodial Student Supervisor has taught me how to organize and schedule tasks, when and how to ask things of others, and overall cleaning and sanitization tips and tricks. I have utilized these skills in my second job as well as my everyday life, from knowing how to properly clean surfaces for others to understanding the importance of keeping myself accountable and on task.
Why should students apply for this job?
Working with Facilities allows students to have a mental break from stressors such as school, extracurriculars, and anything else they may have going on. Being able to set stressful thoughts aside and focus on a rewarding task has great benefits for students’ mental health. I’ve been told by many of my team members that working their weekend shifts has assisted them greatly in maintaining a balance in their academic, working, and social life. In addition to this, students can make great friends with their coworkers and supervisors along the way.
Why did you choose to work for University Housing over somewhere else?
Like many people I’ve spoken to, I originally chose to work in University Housing for the priority housing incentive as well as the convenience of working and living in the same building. However, the reason I have chosen to continue to work in University Housing is for the ability to connect with other student peers, the recognition that University Housing gives employees, and to help keep up the function and enjoyment of student life on campus. Without the work of my fellow employees, the professional University Housing staff, and all others who put their time into University Housing, life on campus wouldn’t be anywhere near how great it is now. I’m happy to be a part of the kind, powerful, collaborative, and influential community around University Housing.