Student Employee: Jasmine Gaston
Jasmine Gaston, a student employee pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, has been working on campus since the first day she arrived. She initially worked for Wolfpack Outfitters before realizing she had a greater interest in NC State Dining. She has been working for Clark Dining Hall ever since.
According to Gaston, her job role is always changing at Clark. Not only does she know how to cook, but she also knows how to do other tasks essential for running a dining hall.
“I do anything they need me to do because I put myself in a position where I know how to do just about anything there,” Gaston said. “I can train new workers, I can cook food, or I can run the front end. Whatever they need, I try to do it to the best of my ability.”
Gaston has picked up skills that have helped her in a multitude of ways. She has learned how to cook, which was something that she struggled with in the past. It is rewarding for her to not only cook the food well but see other students enjoy it. Gaston even uses her new cooking skills outside of the workplace.
“Before I started out, I had no idea how to cook,” Gaston said. “If I made food, it was either burnt or undercooked. I started getting more experience working in the kitchen because I had to complete a culinary class that my job offered to students. From there, I noticed my cooking skills were improving. The food I made was not only edible but good! On top of that, other students were eating it too and it felt really good. I was even able to take what a learned at the dining hall and use it to make my mom a big Mother’s Day breakfast. That was probably the most rewarding.”
According to Gaston, she has learned more transferable skills than just cooking. She noticed a leadership course that was offered by Campus Enterprise and decided to enroll.
“Campus Enterprises offers a three-day leadership workshop where you learn skills to support you as a leader in the workplace. As someone who hopes to own my own business one day, I found myself anxious to participate in the leadership camp. Having these skills is a bonus, especially in the college of engineering where you are consistently working in teams.”
While Gaston enjoys her time working at Clark Dining Hall, she concedes that at times it is hard to be a student and a worker. She has learned to manage her time better, so she is not left feeling exhausted.
“I think being tired was an obstacle I had to overcome,” Gaston recalled. “Doing work and school can be really overwhelming sometimes, especially as finals close in. I had to teach myself how to wake up and really get to work. This is especially challenging on the days where I stayed up late the night before finishing a project.”
During the busy times, Gaston has learned the importance of planning her week in advance. That is her biggest tip for staying on top of her schoolwork while still being a student employee.
“I normally plan my week out the weekend before,” Gaston explained. “That just consists of saying, ‘Okay, I’m going to try and complete these two assignments by Tuesday and these other three assignments by Thursday.’ My advice to other people is to do the same. Try and complete any assignments two or three days before they are actually due. Then hopefully, you can stay ahead of your schoolwork.”
Gaston appreciates her opportunity to learn new skills while working for NC State Dining. Her advice to others who might be interested in working for Campus Enterprises is to be open-minded and not be afraid to learn new skills that will help you grow at your job.
“Learning new things about your job makes you versatile,” Gaston said. “Being close to your supervisor not only helps you stand out more as a worker, but it’s also easier to show them that you can handle more job responsibilities as well if you’re always learning something new.”
- College:
College of Engineering - Major/minor:
Electrical Engineering/Statistics - Hometown:
Winston-Salem - Work Department:
NC State Dining
