When I think about the work I’ve been doing at Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run, I feel nothing but relief and satisfaction. I couldn't be happier seeing my fellow students come to get food, and being the one to help them out makes me extremely proud. When you’re new and working in a dining hall, there’s a mix of excitement and a little bit of worry — you wonder how everything will eventually play out. For me, civic engagement is a source of pride; I always feel energized and re-energized when we join hands to serve one another.
Hodge, as everyone loves to call it, is a hub of good food and irresistible snacks — the kind you can easily get delightfully addicted to. When my friends first introduced me to Hodge after I returned from Thailand, I knew instantly that it was my version of nirvana.
Long story short, standing behind the serving counter and serving the student community has been one of the brightest lights of my semester. “Hi, what can I get for you today?” I would ask, and politely, a student would describe the food option they wanted — maybe a burrito bowl, or a burrito on white, wheat, or spinach wrap — and then they'd proceed to customize their selections all the way through. At the end, I’d usually hear an uplifting "thank you" as I wished them a great rest of their day. That simple interaction, over and over again, was exactly what I think I was hoping for when I first started working there.
Some shifts could stretch to five or six hours, but every minute was filled with action and purpose, ensuring that our friends and classmates got a good meal.
A fun fact from my time working there: learning to roll burritos was like learning an entirely new kind of dance — one that required a lot of patience (and a lot of hilarious mistakes) before finally mastering the "moves." A recent highlight for me was when one of my Civic Semester friends complimented my burrito-rolling skills — that definitely made my day!
Beyond the work itself, I’m grateful for the countless friendships I’ve formed at Hodge. Serving food might seem like a small act, but for me, it became a gateway to building community, gaining confidence, and making memories I’ll always cherish. I’m so glad it happened.