by Haley Brown
Dora Garcia (Photo by Phoebe Duvall)
She has a chihuahua called CC (named after a model in a Spanish game show), she is the third youngest of seven kids, and her favorite band is Rascal Flatts. You interact with her on a daily basis and may not even know her name.
Meet Dora Garcia.
Dora finishes up her work, grabs her purse and a piece of focaccia, and casually takes a seat next to mine at a dining hall table. The interview is, to my relief, wonderfully enjoyable and conversational; Dora has an easy, relaxed way about her right from the start, which I never would have known or expected had I not taken the opportunity to interact with her outside the narrow context of handing her my ID card at breakfast and lunch.
To the less than subtle soundtrack of a vacuum in the background, Dora explains to me that she hasn’t always been that way. Her younger years were inhibited by a painful shyness, a shyness that in effect, disabled her from achieving her goals. She graduated from college with a degree in child development but chose not to pursue a career in teaching. “I don’t know why I went to school for child development.” She pauses. “I never used it.” But she adds, “I’m glad I got an education though; I got my degree. At first I kind of wanted to be a teacher, probably kindergarten. But I never went any further with it; I was so shy when I was younger.” She attributes this in part to family dynamics, explaining that it was sometimes difficult to be sandwiched between so many siblings.
Originally from Mexico, Dora’s parents relocated their family to the United States when she was only nine months old and have been living in southern California since. While she grew up in a bilingual household and the family took trips to Mexico when possible, Dora confesses that she has always felt more American than Mexican, and has never been totally confident in her spanish. She recalls lovingly her mother’s chiding response to her self described “spanglish.” Dora’s family is clearly a major part of her life—not only is working food service at the claremont colleges a family ordeal, (she started out working at Scripps with her sister, her father worked at CMC, and members of her extended family have also worked at the schools), but she also spends most of her time outside of work with extended family; her niece Vanessa stays with her a few days a week.
Dora explains that with the help of friends and coworkers, she has overcome the debilitating shyness of her past. “When I don’t know people too well, it takes me a while to start to talk and everything but after a while you can’t shut me up! I’ve changed so much. Even when I first started to work I was still like that and now I really try to talk to everybody and interact more with the students, and, you know, I always see how their day goes, I’m interested in how they’re doing in school, and I like doing that. I think I got more comfortable with myself that I started coming out. Before I wasn’t really comfortable with who I was and now I am more.”
Dora has also become more comfortable in her job over the years. Little things that she used to dread have simply become part of the routine, like lining the grill baskets with checkered paper. Dora takes her job very seriously—she repeatedly mentions that it’s very important to her to provide a good experience for the students. “I’m very particular about how the dining hall needs to look… I’m a little… like that.” You’ll catch her cleaning and organizing during slow times. “Sometimes when I’m here waiting for my bread to toast, I’ll clean. I’m on my breakfast break but I’m here cleaning a little bit, organizing a little bit, I’m waiting so I might as well do something while I wait.”
Dora’s interactions with students are her favorite part of the day. “Once in a while I stick my foot in my mouth. I can be rude and I’m like ‘oh my god I shouldn’t have said that.’ I, I used to be like really stern, you know ‘No you can’t do things’ and all that but I’ve been trying to change a little bit. And it’s kind of hard because you know when you get older you want to be disciplined and I’m trying to be, you know, flexible.” She says she’s learning to “go with the flow.”
On that note, Dora says that one of the most important lessons this job has taught ther is to be openminded rather than judgemental. “And it’s hard,” she concedes, especially when “you see people and they’re always rude.” But she’s found that people are always more than meets the eye. “Just, you know, wait. Give it time,” she advises.
Outside of work, Dora enjoys relaxing with her family and beloved dog CC, knitting and crocheting, watching television, shopping, and especially listening to music. “Oh heck I love my radio!” she exclaims, adding that she loves almost all music—especially punk, alternative, country, rock, and pop, and is less somewhat enthused about reggae, rap, and Mexican music. At a party you’re sure to find her on the dance floor– “I just like to move around, have a good time, that’s what we’re here for.”
In January of this year Dora’s mother passed away, which has been hard. “I miss her a lot,” she says, “I mean sometimes we talked and sometimes we didn’t talk but I always knew she was there.” Dora remembers her fondly and tries to live in the moment, appreciating life for what it is each day and for the people she is surrounded by. “Cause you never know. Things can happen.”
She responds to this uncertainty and hardship with these simple and insightful words of wisdom: “Be yourself.” She advises, “Enjoy your life while you’re here. Enjoy your friends, your family.”