You woke up late, rushed to your 9 am and missed a pop quiz. And, no, your professor won’t let you make it up. You sulk into Mac for some breakfast, thinking about how you will never get into law school now, and an always-friendly face greets you at the cash register. “Hi, how are you?” and “Have a good day!” may be your only interaction, but its enough to brighten your mood for the rest of the day. Sometimes we just need that – a friendly face and a smile.
Una O’Hanlon, whose birth name is in fact Winifred, works at McElroy Commons, and interacts with hundreds of students a day, something that she greatly enjoys. Una is the Gaelic translation of her birth name – one that had been passed down throughout her family. Una is very dedicated to her family and her heritage, a trait that she has brought here to BC.
In 1986, Una journeyed to the U.S. from Galway, Ireland. The economy was tough, and she had a large amount of family and friends in Boston who drew her here. She began working at the College Sub Shop – a famous sandwich shop right across from BC. As she recalled, “Before BC had all of the food options they have now, we would get all of the students and employees coming in for lunch.” In 1999, she was encouraged to apply for a position at BC, and because her kids were grown, working at BC finally became a true possibility.
Her first position was on Newton Campus, where she said she really got to know the students. “On a cold winter’s night,” she recalled, “a boy came in and his hands were so cold that he didn’t know what to do.” She felt so badly for the student that she went over and showed him how to warm his hands. She felt such pain for him, because she knew that if one of her children were experiencing this, she would want someone to help them, too.
This is the attitude that Una has toward her job. She truly cares for the students here, and she is always interested in hearing more about us. Una greatly appreciates the BC student body – she loves all of our diverse backgrounds, personalities, and experiences.
Una’s favorite thing about working at BC is the students. She loves “meeting the students and hearing their stories… there are so many diverse people here and I love getting to know them.” She says that she “just likes meeting people anyway,” because as she learned back in Ireland, an office job is just not for her. “Once you get to know the work, it’s just not interesting anymore.” Being extremely outgoing, she wants get to know every person she comes across, and hear about their individual experiences.
Next, I had to ask Una about her jewelry. As many of you have probably noticed, it is always perfectly matching (rings, earrings, necklace, the whole shebang) and is often seasonal! Fashion has always been a true love of hers, and her jewelry is the way she can express herself with an otherwise plain work uniform. She recalls that although her mother wasn’t very fashionable, her father was a very stylish man, as with the women on her father’s side of the family. “Maybe it’s in my genes!”
Growing up with all brothers, she wasn’t exactly surrounded by girly things. However, when her parents would give all the children a small allowance, her brothers would go buy candy while she would purchase dolls to dress up. She then told me that she doesn’t like buying expensive jewelry, because then she couldn’t buy all of the different trends as they emerge. She likes having a variety of styles – something to give a little spice to her outfit.
Una is extremely happy working in Mac and being able to interact with the diverse group of students. Una’s attitude towards life and our student body is a very commendable one, and one that certainly should be emulated. Just getting to know people around campus and making true connections with others is extremely important. Because we all come from different backgrounds and experiences, we all have something unique to offer. Just going through your day, completing every mundane task on auto-pilot eliminates the possibility for genuine human connection. It’s never too much to say a simple thank you, or really ask someone about his or her day. “When you are swiping the card, you can’t go any faster. So, why not make a greeting?”