Work Forest

Students often refer to Wake Forest as "Work Forest," uttered both as a boast and a complaint about the amount of schoolwork required of them. That nickname, however, reflects a narrow view of work. Phoebe Zerwick's writing 105 class spent the fall semester of 2015 exploring the full meaning of work at "Work Forest" through interviews with people who work on campus, often at jobs that go unnoticed. They found that the phrase “Work Forest” means more than the intellectual work of students. What’s more, money is not the only motivation for people who work on campus. Faculty, staff, and student workers establish an identity through their connection to helping students achieve at a prestigious university, and in that work of caring for others many find fulfillment.

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Tutor

“Education is the key to the world.”

My tutor is a scholar and puts education before everything. It’s her life and it’s very important, and she believes intelligence and education are the key to the world’s problems.

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Tim Petriccione, Wake Forest men’s basketball manager

“I see [managing] as a fun, enjoyable break in my day when I have a lot going on. Once I get into the gym it is hard to think about anything else besides basketball.”

Although Tim is doing a lot of hard labor such as wiping sweat off the floor, rebounding, getting water for the team, and even collecting sweaty uniforms after practice, he still enjoys the job he does every day. His passion for the game of basketball is a big reason for this because it outweighs the many tasks that he has to attend to while on the job. Just being around the basketball atmosphere allows him to feel at peace and allows this job to be enjoyable for him.

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Chelsea Bellamy- Sociology tutor

“ I've always wanted to help kids. I really never thought about putting being a tutor on my resume but I think that would a good idea. I wanted an on campus job but I didn't want it to be a job sitting at a desk. I want to get more involved with the students.”

Chelsea Bellamy is a student here at Wake Forest, but she doesn't stop there. She strives out of the classroom as well, being a sociology tutor for students here. On top of her heavy work load and her personal life, she makes it her job to strive to get students to understand the method of sociology 

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Maria Roa - Bostwick Hall custodian

“I’m proud to hold a job that allowed me to send my daughter to one of the top schools in the country.”

After helping her only daughter enter and pay for a prestigious school, Maria has clouded out the many negative interpretations associated with her occupation and in effect has proven to be a true asset to Wake Forest University through her aid and commitment to first-year students residing in Bostwick Hall. 

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Dianne Dailey - head coach of Wake Forest womens golf

“I like doing what I do. I feel very fortunate being at Wake Forest, to be able to coach. It is the best job, I could ever have.”

Dianne Dailey identifies her self with her job as a golf coach and especially with Wake Forest University. With her passion and her self experiences playing professional golf and working as an assistance academic dean, she tries her best to help her students develop, as a golfer but also as a person.

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Seth Youngblood - Football Athletic Academic Counselor  

“Being able to interact with students on a daily basis and see them grow and accomplish stuff academically or athletically is what I like the best about my job.”

Seth Youngblood is an academic counselor for the football team. He loves his job for being able to interact with the players. He puts us on track to grow and do what we have to do academically. He says that is the best part about his job.

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Katie Rauck, Study Coach in the Miller Center

"Help and teach is part of me and it’s just rewarding to see students doing better and getting more confidence."

Katie Rauck is a Study Coach and she loves her job because helping and teaching, which are the two main words that represent the profession of Study Coach, is part of her personality. Her goal is to see her students getting better concerning their grades but also their person. She loves to communicate with young adults to get to know them better in order to bring out the best in themselves. The best part of her job is when she sees her students becoming successful, saying that her efforts and dedications have paid off.

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Reid Huckabee, cameraman for Wake Forest Football 

“ I would definitely do it again cause the benefits definitely outweigh the consequences. It’s a great way to meet new people that I wouldn’t have the chance to meet otherwise.”

Reid loves his job filming the football team and wouldn’t hesitate to sign up again.  He gets to meet coaches, players and fellow work-study students that he wouldn’t have met if he didn’t film the team.   

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Mason Davenport, RA at Babcock residence hall in Wake Forest University

“Of course it is hard as it requires responsibility and taking right decisions to keep the hall a healthy living community.”

Mason Davenport is a sophomore in Wake Forest University. He works as an RA in my hall. His job requires certain skills and good time management. He experienced the true meaning of Work Forest.

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Jack, gym attendant

”I really appreciate that I have the opportunity to be a student worker. It taught me to be patient during working. Whenever I felt tired, I just told myself to insist. Study is almost the same thing. The jobs helped me build my characteristics as a patient and tenacious student.”

Jack is a student worker in fitness room. The part-time job on campus taught him how to be a better time controller and how to handle so many stuffs at the same time. Jack appreciate this job since it is the job taught him how to help Jack to make self-improvements. 

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Seth Youngblood, Academic Counselor

“ Your success is our success, and our success is Wake Forest success.” 

This quote stated by Seth Youngblood means that his success and the student- athlete’s success makes Wake Forest successful. Seth believes that every student-athlete he counsels can succeed in academics, and his belief is if the student-athlete succeeds in academia, he has done his job. Therefore, the success of the student-athlete’s academics and Seth’s constant reminders to the student-athlete, keeps Wake Forest University a phenomenal and prestigious institution.

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Roxann Moody, Head Sports Equipment Manager

“Working at Wake Forest brings a since of pride, and like I’ve said, I have been working for a long time since I was 19 years old. I wouldn’t do it for any other school”

Ms. Moody is a very hardworking, caring and prideful worker. I chose  the concepts of “Work as Caring for Others” and “Work as Identity” to explain her work ethic and the way she goes about her life as a employee at “Work Forest.”

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Heather Wong, womens soccer and tennis team athletic trainer

“I love what I do. Helping student athletes recover from a major setback in their career is the best reward my job offers.”

Heather’s work she provides helps student athletes in so many positive ways. She spends day in and day out caring for others and getting athletes back to health doing what they love. She appreciates everything about her job and the kind of person it has made her.

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Coach Adam Scheier, TE/Specialists coach on the WF football team

“I’m definitely passionate about what I do and the profession that I chose. It’s too demanding a job and you sacrifice too much from a family stand point to not truly love what you’re doing”. 

Coach Scheier’s passion for his work reflects positively on his players and his fellow coaches. The drive he has to be an influence on his family as well as his players is truly undeniable. He finds fulfillment in his identity through his work life. The success of the team and individual players is a direct correlation with his passion.  

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Erich Denk - Resident Advisor for the 2nd floor in South Residence Hall

“I love my job.”

This is a simple quote but yet very significant. Not many people can say they love their job. especially people who are responsible for others. Erich holds up to his responsibility and really enjoys mentoring young men and guiding them in the right direction.

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Barb Weinberg, Field-Hockey Coach

“There is definitely a pressure to win, from the administration, without a doubt, however I think most of the pressure comes from just being a positive influence on the athletes’ lives. Trying to teach them that field hockey really is a metaphor for life, everything the athletes are learning here, are going to carry you through different jobs and other life scenarios after you get done.”  

The passion Barb Weinberg has for her work at Wake Forest is greatly shown by the amount of pressure she feels for helping out her athletes. She does not simply want to be a coach, but also be a mentor and a positive influence, by showing the student-athletes that the hard work they are doing now can help them anywhere further on in life.

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Sherine Thomas, Graduate Hall Director South Residence Hall

“You get trained in so many areas like diversity and inclusion. The skills you learn you can take anywhere. So there are a lot of benefits, but the main thing for me, probably, is the students.”

Sherine Thomas’ job as a Graduate Hall Director not only allows her to learn a lot about management, but she also has experiences at her job that help her throughout life, whether it regards learning how to mentor students or areas that involve diversity and inclusion. However, even though all these skills are necessary and quite useful for her future career plans, the most rewarding and fulfilling aspect of her job is having the opportunity to connect with first year students at Wake Forest by getting to know them in South Hall and always being there to support them.