Letitia Crawford

Front-line worker, Salad Creations
Age: 49
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Time at Georgetown: 5 years

What led you to your current position at Salad Creations?
I started at the bookstore, but this is my first year working at Hoya Court.

What is the biggest challenge you face at Salad Creations?
When the line gets long, I try not to look up. If I look up, I just think, “I want these people to go away!” 

What is your favorite part of your job?
When it’s time to go home! Nah, it’s really just making the salads.

How respected do you feel by customers?
There are people I see every day — they’re the right candidates. When they come up, they’ve got a happy face on, and seriously, they make my day. If you see somebody that makes your day, then the rest of the day can go by just fine. 

Can you describe a memorable experience you’ve had since you started at Salad Creations?
Just to see the long line every day, it gives me a rush. I get to work at 9 a.m., but I’ll be sitting around until 11 a.m. when the line forms, waiting to get that rush. When I see the line form, that makes me excited, like, “Yeah, we’re about to make some money!”

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
Well, I have another job; I do housekeeping in Georgetown.

What’s something that you do that people might not know about?
I’m usually pretty laid back and relaxed, but when I get to work, I’ve got to have that happy face on. When I go home, all I want to do is lay back and relax, but when I’m at work, I put a lot of joy into it.

What’s something you wish you had known 10 years ago that you know now?
I graduated [high school], but the knowledge that I could have gone further and I didn’t — I really missed out. I could have gone to college; I think that would have been something I wish I had done. 

Do you notice a difference between working at a university as opposed to a food business elsewhere?
I see the seed of joy that you all get out of a college education. It was still taken from me, but you all gave it back to me just by my seeing you all here.

If you weren’t working at Georgetown, what would you like to pursue?
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a pediatrician. I like working with babies; I love them.  

Interview by Alexander Brown