Cherie Ford

  Her Work: Mailroom and front desk manager.

Ms. Ford smiles sweetly and genuinely and says  “I work really well under pressure and utter chaos. It’s been crazy here so many times with so many things going on and I am at my total happiness right then and there. ” She says afterwards “you breathe and wait for the next wave.” During our interview she exercises her innate ability to multitask with ease, like a dancer, and still remains completely focused on our conversation.

Ms. Ford says “I look forward to coming to work. There has not been a day in my life where I haven’t. I really enjoy working here.” She truly enjoys working where she does and has turned down other job offers that provide more money because she explained she wouldn’t be happy at those other places. Her immediate response when I ask her how she feels about her workspace is “I Love my workspace.” She says her workspace makes her happy when she looks at it. When I ask her how she feels when she’s working in this workspace she replies “happy, satisfied, content. I’m a people person so this is where I need to be.” Many people walk by her work are every moment of the day, people going up and down the stairs to the library, picking up packages from the mail, groundskeepers, visitors and admissions staff and just during our short interview I see people from 4 out of these 5 categories pass through.

Her work area is decorated with an array of personal objects which she tells me visitors constantly want to look at and ask questions about. Ms. Ford says “I’m here 5 days a week. It’s almost like home, so I want it to be familiar and homey.” I ask her more about her workspace and she looks around as if soaking up her environment and says “It’s comforting, it’s colorful, and it’s me.”

When I ask her if she could put her experience with her work into a few words, the phrase she keeps coming back to is “pure joy.”

Themes: pure joy, works well under pressure and utter chaos.