Since the fall of 2009, Pam Wilkinson has worked as a Sodexo greeter in the dining hall where she scans ID cards for meals, does other miscellaneous jobs when needed, and gets to interact with Houghton faculty, students, and other community members.
Pam first became affiliated with Houghton when she attended one of the college’s programs at its West Seneca satellite campus in the early 1980s. She graduated with an associate degree and remembers her time with “fond memories.” Shortly after graduating, Pam met her husband and became a stay-at-home mom to their three children.
In 2006 Pam reconnected with Houghton when her daughter, Candace, attended as a student from 2006-2010. At this time she was not working and since her children were all beginning to leave home, she decided she “wanted something to do with [her] time”. She would often visit her daughter while she was a student at Houghton and began thinking, “I would like to work here”. Following her daughter’s encouragement, Pam decided to go ahead apply at the dining hall. She wasn’t aware that a food service ran the dining hall so she was told to go online and apply. After she applied, Pam ended up earning the position as a greeter in the dining hall. While this was good news, Pam was still nervous, “I haven’t been in the workforce since the early ‘80s, so I was nervous” she said.
Although she has a 40 minute commute each day from Delevan, Pam loves her job and the college atmosphere. “The students are what I love most about Houghton. They are so friendly and so full of energy,” said Pam, who especially enjoys having conversations with students throughout the day. “The faculty and staff are also very friendly,” said Pam. Pam’s most memorable experience occurred when she came into work on her birthday and found three huge birthday balloons at her register, “I have never seen such huge balloons. To this day I don’t know who they were from. I will always remember that! That really made my day!”
Pam doesn’t quite know what is in store for her in the future, but she does know that she wants to continue her work here at Houghton. She and her husband are grandparents to one twenty-one month old grandson and a granddaughter on the way this coming July. During her time off, Pam enjoys hobbies like crocheting, painting, quilting, decorating, and shopping. She also enjoys reading, walking her dog, and watching Jane Austen and Bible movies. Pam can always been seen at the top of the dining hall stairs, wearing a smile, ready to greet everyone entering the our dining hall.