| Welcome Center’s Norman helps visitors feel at home “Hello, how may I help you?” Though Welcome Center coordinator Quinnetta Norman will repeat that greeting hundreds of times throughout the day, her smile never fades and her sunny disposition never wanes. “The perfect way to start a relationship with anyone is with a smile,” says Norman, who’s manned the Welcome Center in Centennial Hall since 2002. “Prospective students are really looking for a home away from home, and it’s my job to make them feel at home at AU.” And it’s a job the cheery mother of three takes very seriously. “It’s my hope that, if I greet someone in a happy manner, that sets the tone for the rest of their experience on campus,” she says. Norman, who came to AU from Sidwell Friends School, where she worked as assistant to the dean of students for 16 years, says she enjoys the fast pace of her job. “Many days I have to be reminded to take a lunch,” she laughs. In addition to welcoming prospective students and their families, “I love the look of newness in their eyes as they walk into a new chapter of their lives,” she explains, Norman also directs visitors to other campus offices. “I coordinate with people across campus, from admissions to financial aid, so that, when someone comes in with a question, I can point them in the right direction,” she says. And those questions run the gamut. One person might drop by to inquire about graduate programs, while another might stop to ask for directions to the law school. Recently, Norman also had to help the father of a prospective student, who got a bloody nose during the campus tour. “There’s always something going on,” she says with a warm laugh. “Good thing I do well in a crisis.” After an especially eventful day at the Welcome Center, Norman, an accomplished seamstress, returns home to Hyattsville, Md., to sew away her stress. “After a busy day, I’ll sit at the sewing machine for an hour and just lose myself,” says Norman, who creates wedding gowns and formal wear. “That’s my source of peace.” Norman also enjoys reading, listening to music, and singing in her church’s choir. “I enjoy my job very much,” she says with a warm smile, “but also enjoy my downtime!” —AF |
