“As I continued to get to know the workers at Georgetown, I started taking notes on our conversations. I wanted to give back somehow and as I got to know them on a personal level, I thought about sharing their stories with the rest of the Georgetown community. Throughout the year, I had interviewed over 100 workers and learned about their amazing stories. Many of them shared their experiences immigrating to the United States in hopes of a better life and opportunity. When asked about their most memorable moment at Georgetown, many of the facilities / service workers would often say that it was the one time when a student bought them a cup of coffee as a token of appreciation, or thanked them after their spent 10-11 hours a day in the freezing cold shoveling snow and cleaning up the streets.
Most importantly, we tried to highlight life moments which brought the workers to the campus community and learn more about what motivates them to come to work. Some responded, ‘To pay for my child’s college education.’ Others talked about their love for students and serving others. My interaction with O’Neil is what really inspired the Unsung Heroes initiative – and greatly encapsulates my Georgetown experience as I spend most of my free time working on the initiative and is something that is now a non-profit that I will be leading post-graduation.”
