[nat sound of milk steaming]
TILLIE FREED: Is it ok if I record?
MELISSA WATKINS: Yeah, as long as you don’t ask me no incriminating questions.
Every morning Melissa Watkins greets students and staff as they walk into Kresge. She is hard to miss as she stands commanding the counter of Backlot Coffee in the Kresge Cafe.
[nat sound of Melissa talking to customers/reading orders]
WATKINS: I liked it because I’ve always wanted the opportunity to actually go to a college or university, so to work in this atmosphere is just kind of like a dream come true, even
though I didn’t attend here, but to work here and to get to just enjoy the college atmosphere and dealing with the you know, staff and students and creating, you know,
relationships and family connections.
Watkins has worked at Northwestern for thirteen years. Her first six years were spent in Cafe Bergson before she was moved to Kresge.
Just like her customers, Watkins starts every morning the same way.
WATKINS: I need that coffee.
Her go to drink?
WATKINS: caramel, macchiato, ice.
Watkins needs the caffeine boost to be ready for her opening shift. She has to leave her home in Southwest Chicago at 4:30 to arrive at Kresge by 7:30am.
WATKINS: two buses, two trains. My commute is two hours to work, two hours home
every day.
She describes herself as a Chicago native
WATKINS: born and raised
But even after 13 years the commute is still daunting.
WATKINS: it’s really tough in the wintertime, you never know what to expect with public
transportation.
Watkins manages to stay positive through it all.
WATKINS: I mean, you gonna have your challenges with each day, but like I said, that’s
why I started my morning off with prayer, so I can be able to face and get through those
challenges each and every day. So it’s just life,
Watkins got her first job in customer service when she was 17. Through years of experience she has built the people skills that make her a great barista.
WATKINS: It’s just being able to work with the public, period
[nat sound of Melissa talking to customers/reading orders]
Talking with customers is a high point of her day.
WATKINS: You never know who you may meet. So I do, do build relationships. Try
everywhere I go.
Watkins has few complaints about her job.
[soft hopeful music]
WATKINS: I like my job. That’s what keeps me coming back. Yeah, and I like the
students, the atmosphere, the staff, this is why I do what I do.
[nat sound of cafe]
In Evanston, I’m Tillie Freed for WNUR News.