My freshman spring at Davidson I made a horrible decision. I took a 300 level sociology theory course. I attempted the readings and (poorly) wrote a response paper each week. I was woefully inept. However, because of that class, I became acquainted with this week’s Campus Celebrity, Caitlyn Lemmond.
I met Caitlyn because she worked late nights in the Union, making sure students had anything and everything they needed to sustain hours of studying. Before closing the Union Café at 2am, Caitlyn walked through the Union, asking students if they needed anything before she closed, and offering them words of motivation. Caitlyn began working at the Davis Café in October of 2010. Born and raised here, she is a true Davidson native (guys this is no joke…her grandfather used to go to K-Pub). And while Caitlyn loves spending time at the College (even when she isn’t working), she is very family-oriented. Her husband, Billy, also works at the Davis Café and may be fondly remembered by sophomores/juniors/seniors as a friendly face serving food at Outpost (RIP). In November of 2013, Caitlyn and Billy welcomed their first son, Landyn. And he is adorable. Possible future Campus Cutie? I think yes.
As I interviewed Caitlyn, we both couldn’t help but get distracted by the observant little guy she carried around. Sporting a Davidson College bib, Landyn garnered quite a bit of attention from everyone who passed by, students and Union staff alike. With the opening of the convienience store and the arrival of her new favorite human, Caitlyn has moved from working in the Davis Café at night to a day shift at the Union Station. Before working at Davidson College, Caitlyn was a teacher’s assistant for kindergarten classrooms in Mooresville. What does she see as the biggest similarity between college students and kindergarteners? “Neither one functions at 8am and they are wired by 3pm.” The difference? “College students love naps and kindergartners hate them!”
I asked Caitlyn what it had been like working in the Union on the late night shift. She talked about how she didn’t miss the hours, but she did miss the people. Caitlyn spoke about how the Union has such a different vibe at night and how there was a regular nighttime studying crew. We talked about the Union’s vacuuming schedule (Romie or Kurtis start at 12am and reach the café level around 2am) and how she would treat the saddest of the late night study crew to free coffee so they could power on…assuming they didn’t become one of the people sleeping on Union furniture or next to the fireplace. When talking about if she would ever go back to working nights, Caitlyn looked at Landyn. He is the reason she wouldn’t. If she did: “We could just let him sleep in the Union! Everyone else does!” On the weekends, Caitlyn would close the Union Café at midnight and go down to Outpost to wait for Billy to finish his shift. The people-watching was phenomenal due to the state of most Outpost patrons between 12am and 2am. Caitlyn’s favorite nights were karaoke. I asked her which song was her favorite to hear, but she couldn’t remember one in particular. Rather, she could remember, but wouldn’t share, the names of a few favorite performers.
When I asked Caitlyn what students should know about hanging out with her in the Union, Caitlyn responded: “I know that at college there aren’t any parents to talk with, so I am always here to hear any worries or problems. I love it when students come and vent to me!”
Where can you find our wonderful Campus Celebrity? She works in the Union Station, Tuesday through Thursday from 8am until 3:30 and Friday and Saturday from 12pm-9:30pm (but apparently no one comes to visit on Saturdays, so people should start doing that).
So, if Davidson has you feeling like this:
Or maybe like this:
Or possibly has given you a moment that makes you feel like this:Use it as an excuse to spend some time with Caitlyn because I promise you wont regret getting to know this Campus Celebrity.