Antoneia Garrett has been serving the University of North Florida campus its daily dose of caffeine for the past two years as the manager of Einstein Bagels, ensuring customers leave not just with their early-morning latte but with a smile.<\/p>\n
Garrett enjoys serving as the ambassador of bagels, but makes it a point to take time with each customer. Garrett said that it\u2019s sometimes \u201chard to find a friendly face in college\u201d, so she makes sure that she listens to everyone, actively working to become a familiar face and smile for students.<\/p>\n
Garrett\u2019s day usually begins before the campus has even woken up. \u201cOven on at 6, music on at 6:01,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Garrett \u2013 Ms. Nene to her fans \u2013 is a whirlwind of energy manning the station, singing along to the pounding music. She has the morning shift routine down pat, gliding across the floor as her nonslip shoes squeak against the carb-encrusted tile.<\/p>\n
At a university with 16,000 students, campus life is constantly changing. Staff changes, and students graduate. But for the past few years, Garrett has remained a constant. She tries to get to know every single person who comes through her line, talking to every customer personally.\u00a0 \u201cI loved college, but it gets lonely,\u201d said Garrett.<\/p>\n
Garrett chats as she rings up orders. It\u2019s important to her to make these personal connections with each student.\u00a0\u201cI help them with their twang, that spark that you miss in college,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before arriving at UNF, Garrett worked with the elderly, an experience that continues to shape her personal approach to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love working with college students; it\u2019s like working with my own kids,\u201d Garrett said. \u201cIt\u2019s the best of both worlds, and I love watching them grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many of Einstein Bagels\u2019 patrons have been visiting Garrett throughout their college years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get to see them go from quirky, like the freshmen, and\u2026 then you watch them grow, mature, become better people, and it\u2019s so fulfilling,\u201d Garrett said.<\/p>\n
For Garrett, the daily customer conversations carry a deeper meaning. \u201cEveryone is put here for a reason, and that\u2019s my reason. I\u2019m not just here to work at Einstein; it\u2019s bigger than that,\u201d said Garrett.<\/p>\n
By lunchtime, orders stack up, and the line stretches. \u201cCome on, family,\u201d Garrett calls out, repeating the usual rush hour mantra. The three student workers beside her jump into motion, matching her pace and energy, singing along to the music. In the middle of the chaos, she belts the next verse with a smile, with the group\u2019s symphony aiding them in the rush.<\/p>\n
Garrett\u2019s happy demeanor and caring attitude extend beyond customers to the student workers she works alongside each day. Elizabeth Tracy, a student employee, said she loves the environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really are a work family,\u201d Tracy said.<\/p>\n
Zaria Wolffe, another student worker, carries the same sentiment. She said, \u201cMs. Nene is really kind and just roots for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garrett doesn\u2019t see herself as a campus icon. She laughs about it, in fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to be myself. Give what I was missing, my little kick, that something something, my little twang,\u201d said Garrett. \u201cIt\u2019s my torque. My twang. My spark.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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