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What do you find rewarding, exciting, and/or challenging about the work that you?

Everyone wants to experience a restaurant in their own way. Some want great conversation and a memory that will last, others a quick meal and drink. Whatever the customer needs, it feels really great to deliver and make a lasting impression—inspire them to come back. I meet people from all over the world and all backgrounds. When guests come in and start asking for me, it’s an honor, and quite humbling. I have made a positive impact on someone by just serving some delicious food, crafting a tasty cocktail, and engaging in some compelling dialogue. I’ve made some lasting relationships.

Bartending isn’t always that glamorous, though. There are long hours on your feet, and when you don’t work, you don’t get paid. With many people come many personalities, and we humans can be brutal. Being one of the few female bartenders and among few minorities, there are more challenges. At first sight, there is this unspoken level of underestimation. You’ve got to be quick to prove that you “can handle it.” Working in a restaurant with four bars and approximately 500 seats, transitions from a quiet afternoon to a raucous happy hour can be complete chaos. “Handling it” and getting in the groove to where you look up on a busy night and the shift is almost over—that’s a good night. People can see it. It’s fun to watch.   

I understand that you are both a bartender at DC’s oldest bar and a singer/songwriter. Can you tell me about that balance?

The band has been off and on since we got together about fifteen years ago. I actually met my guitarist at work. The industry certainly allows for flexibility. Thank goodness I don’t have to take my work home with me; I can write, create, or perform if we get the opportunity. In a way, it’s all a performance.  

Are there ways that your training at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ (theater, music, psychology, other areas in which you studied) comes into play in the work that you do?

Certainly, my studies in music helped me to collaborate and write. My classes with Professor of Music Vin Shende took me beyond the traditional musical structures. Often, I think my studies in sociology and psychology prepared me to deal with the many temperaments I encounter every day. º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ not only strengthened my capacity to think critically and explore my creativity, but helped with my organizational skills, and ability to adapt to many situations. 

What brought you to º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ? What was your experience at the College like?

Growing up in Maine, º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ, Bates, and Colby were the schools to go to. I really thought my path was going to be in the sciences, but I spent many of my extracurricular hours in the music room in High School. Mr. Walker, my music and theater director and super-influential teacher, saw my path differently. The ability to expand my mind and explore multiple disciplines with a liberal arts education was something that knew was necessary for me.

At the end of the day, I just fell in love with the campus. I visited on a warm April afternoon, and everyone was out on the quad. I think there was a band playing. The infamous pines looming over the buildings created the picture-perfect setting of a New England campus. I walked my acceptance letter immediately to the admissions office. I have to admit I struggled to find my way in the beginning. I surfed from one major to another until Mr. Walker’s prophecy turned reality. With the personal academic environment that º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ has to offer, and care from my professors and advisors, I finally focused on my true passion of music and theatre.  

What inspires you?

Other bartenders. I’ll go out with minimal expectations. I love to observe. What line works? How do they handle the rush or make a certain cocktail? The people I meet inspire me. My friends. Music. Nature inspires me. My daughter. To be able to build a safe and positive environment, provide for her future, and give her every opportunity to succeed in this world is something that will always keep me going. She is fifteen months and just amazes me. Seeing her grow and learn so much every day—that can’t be beyond my own capacity. 

Is there something about the work you have done that others would find surprising?

I hear more behind the bar than you think.

Is there something about YOU that others might find surprising?

I grew up in a rural town in northern Maine on a lake, in a cabin with no traditional plumbing. My dad raised me, though my mother was still a large part of my life. He introduced me to a diverse world despite living in a small town and being one of the few black families up there. He was a pilot and ran the airport. I grew up with planes and could probably fly if absolutely necessary. It’s the landing part. But every time I look up and see a little C152, I think of him.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

As of fifteen months ago, there has not been much spare time! When I’m not at work or rehearsing, I’m trying to create interesting foods for her to eat, or entertaining games to play. We do love to go for walks or hikes, and when given the opportunity, I enjoy running, kayaking, and growing things in the garden. I still have my property on the lake. We go up as often as possible and fix up the cabin. The work will never end, but my fiancée and I call it our labor of love. I have also been a part of a small community theater group since 2010. The actors are of varying ages and abilities and mostly the same group of people from when I started. We put on a production annually and it is always such a joy to be able to work with them.

Favorite º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ memory? Or best thing you learned at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ?

I have so many fond memories at º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ: Miscellenia, rugby, my pre-o trip, hockey games; late nights studying at the AFAM; the food—Honolulu tofu and bag lunches at Chi Delt; the vibrant campus community, full of young people with high intellectual curiosity.

This story first appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Magazine. Manage your subscription and see other stories from the magazine on the º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Magazine website.