College life can be stressful, between assignments, jobs, friends and more. But for many, there’s that one small interaction can bring color back to life.
For those who get their meals at Stevenson Tower Deli, that small interaction usually happens when they meet Mary Kaiser.
“The fact that people know her name, and they’re always like, ‘Oh, we love Mary,” said Complex Director of Lincoln, Stevenson, Powell-Norton and Pemberton Halls Arielle Kindred. “It could be a librarian, it could be a teacher, but we all know it’s the checker at Stevo Dining.”
Kaiser is the first and last face students see when they go to get their food.
She is an 85-year-old cashier at Stevenson Tower Deli and is loved by many students for her kindness and genuine care.
She said she tries to remember the names of students that come in, engaging in conversations and offering advice.
“I’m not a counselor or anything, but it’s just those connections you build with people,” Kaiser said. “The younger people are what keep me going.”
Kaiser’s dedication to her job stems from her love for interacting with young people, she said, whom she sees as hopeful and full of potential.
Before working at Eastern, Kaiser lived in North Dakota where she worked as a bookkeeper and an accountant for 18 years.
After the passing of her husband, she moved back to Illinois where her family was.
Back in Illinois, she worked as the executive secretary for nursing administration at Sarah Bush Lincoln before retiring at 70.
She said her retirement was enjoyable because it gave her the chance to finally take a break and spend some time with herself, but it was short lived.
As someone who has worked for around 50 years of her life, sitting still didn’t feel normal for Kaiser.
On the search for something to do to get out of the house a few days out the week, Kaiser made a call to one of her friends who worked in the food court on campus.
“She said, ‘We need help over here’ and said, ‘Call Chris Coffey,’” Kaiser said. “She gave me his phone number, I called him, he set up an interview and its history now.”
She got her start the fall semester of 2023 and said she doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
“It was only supposed to be a couple days, and I’ve worked basically full time during each semester since I’ve been here, and I love it,” Kaiser said.
Since working at Eastern, Kaiser has built a rapport with the student customers and workers.
Junior Nicholas Shamhart, double majoring in exercise science and nutrition-dietetics, met Kaiser on his first day of school the fall semester of 2023.
“It was my first day on campus, and I had no clue what I was doing. I was timid, couldn’t figure out how to work my Panther Card, and felt slightly embarrassed trying to checkout at Stevo,” said Shamhart. “Mary [Kaiser] did everything she could to help me and even tease me a little.”
Since that first small interaction Shamhart has built a relationship with Kaiser that he said he will cherish forever.
“On days when I just need to get my mind off of the daunting schoolwork that is piling up or the stress of future exams, a small conversation with Mary [Kaiser] always seems to make my day better,” he said.
Kindred has known Kaiser for two years now and always looks forward to their small conversations.
“I know I could ask her questions or just talk to her,” Kindred said. “She’s always sweet and always has the nicest, sweetest response. So that’s my girl. I love her.”
When a student goes to swipe their card to check out, Kaiser makes sure to call them by their name and tells them to have a good day.
“For a lot of them I might call their name before they get up there to swipe,” she said. “The student managers say, ‘How can you remember their names?’ I said, ‘You listen to people.’”
Kaiser uses her job at Stevenson Tower Deli to both serve the students and offer them a place to feel safe.
“I really got upset with one student because he acted like a bully to everybody,” Kaiser said.
The student, she said, was sitting at the table joking about shooting someone.
“I walked over there and tapped him on the shoulder, and I said we don’t talk like that in here,” Kaiser said. “After that, the next time when he came in, he said I’ve grown up some thanks to you.”
Someone always seems to be talking to Kaiser during her shift, she said, and it’s rare to see the same person twice.
“A lot of them, you know, as soon as they see me, they holler at me, and that makes me feel good. It makes me feel appreciated,” she said.
Kaiser plays the role of grandmother for anyone in need of one, especially the many international student customers and workers she’s taken in as grandchildren, she said.
Not having access to their families or friends back home, the holidays they celebrate, the customs they partake in or the food they can find solace in can take a toll on their well-being.
Because of this Kaiser said she takes extra steps to give the international students something that feels like home.
After being asked on several occasions to make a traditional Indian dish, Kaiser spent over $100 on ingredients and spices to make the students biryani chicken.
“They told me the one they wanted, then my friend said, ‘Why are you going to make that? That’s the hardest recipe we got.’ I said, ‘Well that’s what they said they wanted,’” said Kaiser.
The dish went well with the students, but the only issue was it wasn’t spicy enough, which Kaiser found interesting because she thought it was too spicy.
She said she planned on hosting an Indian style Thanksgiving this year for her students once she moved into her new home, but the move won’t happen in time for the holidays.
Outside of that one hiccup, Kaiser is always making the space to spend valuable time with the students who add so much to her life.
“The first year that I worked here, we had picnics down at Fox Ridge,” Kaiser said. “They’d cook me Indian food, and I’d cook American food, and we’d all eat together. It was interesting.”
Kaiser said she likes to help others and is glad that she can be in a position to help.
“Even if it is a messed-up attempt cooking them a food, why not?” she said,
On her off days, Kaiser can be found at home relaxing with her puppy or looking after her two-month-old twin nephews.
However, her days off are put on the back burner when 12 p.m. Monday comes, and she gets to see the shining faces that missed her just as much as she missed them, she said.
“I have enjoyed this more than any job that I’ve trained for years for,” she said.
Alexis Moore-Jones can be reached at 581-2812 or at admoorejones@eiu.edu.
