Security Guard
Know Your Pelicans
As a member of Packer’s security team, how do you see your role at Packer?
My role at Packer is to show respect and provide a safe and caring atmosphere to all the students, parents, and faculty. I'm the first and last person the children and parents see in the day so I want to forge an environment of safety first, but also kindness and happiness, by wishing them a good morning or asking asking them how their day was. I like to create smiles because they're contagious and hopefully last all day long!
Tell us about a specific time you found your job especially rewarding.
A specific time that I find my job especially rewarding is actually twice a day, when I get to see the children and their parents so happy together. It's a special thing to see.
Tell us about a time you learned something from our students.
One thing I've learned from the children [at the Packer Early Learning Center] is to smile more. When I worked as a New York City Police Officer, I worked in a lot of dangerous areas in the Bronx. Now, the students have taught me that it's okay to show people that I always don't have to be tough and it's OK to smile.
What’s one thing you love about your colleagues?
One thing I love about my colleagues is how happy they are when they to come to work and how hard they work even after the students are gone. They are truly the definition of commitment!
What is something that most Packer people wouldn't know about you?
Most people don't know that I was a first responder police officer on September 11. It made me want to become a member of the elite Emergency Service Unit Squad — where eventually, I assisted people in fires, propelled out of helicopters, and helped people in many dangerous situations.
If you had an inspirational fridge magnet (and we’re not saying you would), what would it say and why?
An inspirational saying I have on my fridge is from Mother Teresa, who I was lucky enough to meet: “I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much.”