Sodexo Student Workers Win $6,000 Scholarships for Spring Semester

At the end of each year, Liberty Dining by Sodexo holds an essay contest for its student employees. The two winners of this contest are each given a scholarship of $6000 to use for the following spring semester.

“We’re thankful that we’re able to offer this opportunity to our student workers, because we’ve learned it can make a big difference in the lives of our student workers,” said Marketing Manager Shelby Burton.

This year, the essay question was “What do you believe provides an overall better customer experience: Automated ordering or traditional cashier style service? Then share your ideas on how you think this can be improved upon within Liberty Dining Services.”

In order to enter, they had to be a current student worker, enter an essay of at least 500 words, and submit it by December 2nd.

Liberty Dining received 31 essay submissions and selected two winners: Ariella Hamilton and Roman Davis.

Ariella Hamilton is a sophomore this year studying exercise science and has been a student worker with Sodexo for one and a half years. Currently, she works mainly at our Argo Tea location, along with helping at Pizza Hut and Auntie Anne’s.

Here are Arielle’s responses:

Why did you choose to work for Sodexo?

“I chose to work for Sodexo because of the diverse community of student workers mixed in with other workers. I also enjoy getting to interact with many different customers throughout the day, whether it be a student, or a visitor just stopping by for the day.”

What is something you’ve learned from working in your current position that you see as something you can take into your projected career path?

“I’ve learned that hard work and kindness goes a long way in the workplace. I’ve also learned from my very kind, caring, and respectful supervisors that if you are a supervisor or boss, treating your employees with respect can go a long way. I’ve also learned that organization and speaking clearly to others is very helpful for everyone to understand each other.”

What have you enjoyed most about your job with Sodexo?

“I have enjoyed the community of getting to know many of my coworkers and getting to interact with all the customers that come to Argo Tea for their daily coffee or tea. I have also enjoyed working on-campus, as it is much easier than going off-campus to find a job where employers may not work with your schedule. And as a busy college student the commute of walking from my dorm to my job on-campus is better for saving time.”

According to District Manager Duke Davis, Arielle’s essay was a winner because she gave examples and perspectives from both the employee and customer point of views, as well as the added improvement suggestions for the automated services currently offered.

Liberty student Roman Davis is a senior pursuing a double major in Aeronautics: Unmanned Aircraft Operations and Aviation Administration and has been a Sodexo student worker for one and a half years.

Currently, Roman has been working at the new Shake Smart location.

Here are Roman’s responses:

Why did you choose to work for Sodexo?

“I wanted something flexible on campus that allowed me to work with other students.”

What is something you’ve learned from working in your current position that you see as something you can take into your projected career path?

“I think I have learned a lot about leading small groups and working with people from all sorts of different backgrounds. I think it will be great in the future to know that I can work with younger and older people, students, or anyone else and understand how to be productive alongside them.”

What have you enjoyed most about your job with Sodexo?

“I enjoy interacting with so many students. Every day I run into people on the sidewalk that greet me by name. I would have never met most of these people if I were not working the register when they came to ShakeSmart one day. It is such a cool feeling to meet and be known by so many people on campus simply because of a job.”

Davis said that Roman was chosen because he gave examples that provided the many differences between the human aspects of cashiers versus modern touchscreen ordering systems. He also mentioned the generational differences for those who are not computer savvy as the college students of today.

“We are proud to offer this scholarship opportunity as an incentive for Liberty University students who choose to work for Sodexo,” said Davis. “Collectively, we’ve awarded $54,000 over the past seven years.”