This week, we sat down with Lauren Barry, an HNFE major with Junior standing who’s exclusive job on campus allows her to literally throw parties with President Sands.
Tell me a little bit about your job.
I work at The Grove, which is the president’s house, and basically I do anything from waitressing to bartending to hosting. I do his private parties, I worked his daughter’s wedding last year, and for football games people come to sit in his box, and he has a party before that. There are a lot of events. This week is going to be crazy, because it’s the Board of Visitors. That is like a five-event thing – it’s huge.
What is your favorite part of working for President Sands?
Honestly, it’s so laid-back. I like the fact that President Sands is so sweet, and so is his wife. They make us feel so welcome, and it’s almost like we’re a part of his second family.
What have you learned about President Sands that you didn’t know before?
When I first came to Tech, I didn’t know much about President Sands. I didn’t realize he had so much close interaction with students, but when I found that out, it was awesome. He’s so down-to-earth, and he really wants to get in touch with the students and figure out what they think.
What have you learned from this job that you can take with you into the HNFE field?
Actually, sometimes the people that come to these events and dinners. . . their spouses stop us and ask us about our majors and what we do. Even some of the people he invites over will want to get to know us, and they ask us about our careers and aspirations. For me, it’s medical school or PA school. They always tell us, “Oh, yeah! I have so many connections in there.” They’ll tell me that they have so many friends who are PA’s, or that they totally recommend that. They get to know us on a personal level, but it’s not just that: it’s getting familiar interacting in a situation where you’re with such important people. Some of the people who come to these events are donating millions of dollars to the university, and you don’t want to mess up.
How did you get this job or hear about it?
I actually applied to dining services, and I got a text from the manager of the house. I didn’t know what The Grove was. I was a freshman, so I was like, “Okay!” and he gave me an interview. Everyone who works there is so nice.
Any interesting facts or stories?
It’s kind of nice because after receptions, if it’s not a sit-down dinner, the Sands don’t eat while guests are eating. We get to eat, too, so they let us go in, and Tim and Laura [Sands] eat with us. They ask us questions. For example, Mrs. Sands asked what major I was in and what classes I was taking.
What is your favorite event you’ve worked?
I think it was his daughter’s wedding! His whole family was there, and I got to meet all of his kids. Everyone was so nice. It’s not just him: it’s his whole family. And fun fact: he likes to talk about his granddogs. He doesn’t have grandkids, but he loves to talk about his granddogs!
Can you tell me more about The Grove?
It’s a really old house, and they live in an apartment upstairs. They don’t live in the entire house. Everything is so fancy, but they’re just normal people!
It’s in gaining perspective from students like Lauren that we see no matter what status or occasion, President Sands and his family still make time to sit with their beloved staff of students to ask them about their lives— and share a meal or two.
Image Sources: The Grove