Indrotec

My tenure with NS began soon after my children started school. I was blessed to be home with my kids when they were very young, but once they became school age, I found myself with more time to consider opportunities for myself outside of the home. Interestingly, my enjoyable career started one day when I was taking my children to eat breakfast at their school. During that time, I was asked to help serve breakfast when the kitchen was short staffed. I will never forget the smile on the faces of all the students coming to breakfast. They were so excited to see the lunch ladies and I remember the joy they brought us when they started random conversations. We heard things like, “I am having a sleep over tonight! My birthday is today! I love your cooking! I am the line leader!”

 That experience helped me discover a really fun and rewarding job. There were numerous perks with the position such as having holidays and summers off to be with my kids, having weekends off, and receiving paid personal leave. I quickly applied for a regular position with NS and I was hired.  I began floating from school to school wherever help was needed. That opportunity allowed me to meet many co-workers from different schools and acquire numerous tips and tricks from others. One of my supervisors encouraged me to learn all the positions in the kitchen and to consider setting a goal of one day becoming a supervisor.

After three years, I applied for a level one supervisor position. I eventually worked my way up to a level two and later a level three supervisor. Each step up brought new challenges that increased skill and confidence as a leader. I found that the supervisor positions offered the change and variety I enjoy. I loved that I was continually gaining knowledge each year and “I loved leading”! As a supervisor I could have a direct impact on the environment for my teams through how I lead them. I found fulfillment in  creating environments where my team wanted to come to work. Like everyone does, I had challenging days, but I learned the positive experiences outweighed the negative ones. I read leadership books to equip me with ideas to help me respond to tough situations.

It was not long after taking the supervisor roles that I realized the opportunities were endless with our department. After only 10 years of working for Nutrition Services I was promoted to NS Coordinator. One of my early goals in this position was to offer a safe and open environment where supervisors felt welcome and encouraged to come to me with questions. I wanted to share with them the tools that I had learned along the way, knowledge and support that might help them when confronted with challenging situations, and guidance and encouragement as they grew in their leadership roles.

I cannot express how lucky I feel to work in a department that encourages growth and provides opportunities for promotion. My career in NS has been both purposeful and rewarding. In addition, to enjoying my job, I have had the pleasure of forming many long lasting relationships with students, colleagues, and peers within NS and throughout other departments of Saint Paul Public Schools. Above all, the support of my managers has been instrumental to my personal growth and success. I would encourage anyone interested in growing with NS to share their ambitions so that they too can be supported in their exciting career journey with Nutrition Services.