We all take things for granted. There is no blame, and there is certainly no judgment in doing so. This project was an exercise of gratitude for me, as I realized I had never truly taken the time to speak with the people who prepare my food and keep me warm at night. We all get so wrapped up in our own world that it becomes hard to recognize the people who are all around us. With this project, my goal is to remind myself and our fellow students that there is a team of people with their own stories, lives, and backgrounds working work seven days a week to ensure we do not have to cook, clean, or heat our rooms.
Throughout the course of this project, I have learned a lot from those I’ve spoken with. There truly are people on this campus who just want us to be happy and cared for. There are employees who go above and beyond their explicit duties to make us feel comfortable and they do not get the recognition they deserve. The people in this collection are workers through and through, who roll up their sleeves every week and help make this campus a special place. I hope these photos prompt more of us to stop and show gratitude for everything we enjoy here.
The nature of interviewing in workspaces between lunch breaks and downtime made it hard for me to take aesthetically pleasing shots. Although I am not fully satisfied with the artistic elements of this piece, I learned so much about the journalistic process. I made a conscious effort to not have camera visible for the interview process to build up a level of comfort with the subjects. The biggest thing with working alongside other people is being highly adaptable to change. This was a scheduling nightmare at times, and I am so grateful to the subjects in this piece honored me with their time. The photo of Kaylee Blair outside Dana is my personal favorite. Not because I think it is compositionally superior, but rather because it is emblematic of the broader theme of this project. Be grateful for the things we have the luxury not to think about.
“I’ve been here at St. Lawrence sixteen years now as a full-timer. This is my sixteenth year.” -John Stae
John Works in Dana alongside his wife Cindy, while his stepson Sean works in the pub. It’s a family affair.
“We see and talk to you guys more than your parents and professors. Especially the freshmen. We see how they’re doing; we talk to em. I’ve met a lot of kids from all over; it’s quite special. We had a student who came back and got married here, and we catered the event, and they recognized us, and we recognized them, you know 5-10 years later. That was special. We had a student who became a teacher in China, and during COVID, she hit us up to see if we’re okay. We make a special bond with a lot of you guys. You guys give us energy every day. Seeing you guys come in with a smile on your face changes our day too. It makes us think, you know, we are here, we are doing a purpose, we are doing something right.” -John Stae
“I’ve been here my whole life. Born in Watertown and went to high school about 20 minutes from here. Yeah. John is my stepdad, and Cindy from Dana is my actual mom. We worked the night shift down at the café together. A lot of people were life, I can’t believe you worked with your family, but it went well. I enjoyed it.”-Sean Pearson
“COVID has definitely made it harder. Being short of staff is really hard for us; there are a lot of days where there are just blank spaces on the schedule. It’s more work that being put on us, which kinda sucks sometimes, but you know. A lot of people don’t want jobs. You know, I wish when kids started here, they had to do a week or month of food service. I know when kids work with us, they get a better appreciation for what we do here.” -Sean Pearson
Seven a.m. and rainy. As I waited for Dana to open, Kaylee [Blair] was slipping around on the ice while dumping buckets of water to wash spaghetti vomit off the slick stones. It flowed down the steps and disappeared into a puddle. She greeted me with a warm smile, we made some small talk, and then she told me to wait inside the lobby before they opened to get out of the cold rain. I awkwardly shuffled my way past her as she began salting the ground.
“I graduated from St. Lawrence in ‘97 and I grew up in the area. My mom is a ‘64 alum. I actually married a classmate of mine in July. We got married at the Chapel. Reiff for life. I’m in my tenth year here. I think that one of the most important parts of my job is to help students realize that what they are is okay. It’s my job to make sure that they never feel like it’s too late to take the first steps. We have so many resources and we want to help y’all.” -Beth Larrabee
“Uhh. I’ve been working here for 23 years now. I came here in the fall of ‘98. In high school, I played one year of football, two years of baseball.” I do really love sports. I take care of roughly 32 teams. All the division three teams. I’ve washed thousands of jerseys in my lifetime. I have a few tricks. I mean, your common shout works the best, and then just a lil elbow grease, and they come out clean. On a sports day where there are multiple games, like football weekends, I am typically here by six or seven in the morning until probably nine or ten o’clock at night.” -Troy Holloway
“Well, I grew up 500 yards down the road. My first job was here, actually, You know Eben Holden? It was actually the main dining hall. My first job at 14 was washing dishes back there. My mother worked here for 36 years. People used to say ‘one day he will have the keys to this building,’ and here I am. You know, St. Lawrence does very well hiring local people. I mean, let’s be honest, without the two schools, Canton would just be a speck.” -Bill Bascomb
“Oh, I’m with em all the time. I travel with the team, handle the gear. We all know each other pretty well. This kid right here [points to team photo and jersey hanging on the wall]. He was a freshman last year, scored a lot of good goals for us. Over the summer, he got non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so we’re all rooting for him. We’ve had some real talent come through here. Gavin’s still playing [points at the plaque of NHL players]; It’s funny. I was on vacation in Maine, and I just saw him walking down the street with his wife and his mom. He got drafted by Dallas and is still playing pro.” -Bill Bascomb