Most people taking care of a terminally ill loved one and working full time jobs would not be very cheerful nor would they take the time to help others with seemingly small problems. But that’s not Sherry Albright’s way.
Sherry has been working at Trine University, Indiana for more than 13 years now. She scrubs and cleans the bathrooms, empties the bins and vacuums the floor. When she’s done with all that, she reports to her second job as a waitress at an Italian restaurant. She works hard to ensure that she can pay the medical bills of her 62 year old husband, Erich, who suffers from multiple sclerosis in its advanced stages.
Anyone under these circumstances would have good reason to be bitter with the world; but not Sherry. She offers help to students at Trine University to brighten their stay. “These students are here only for a short while,” she says “It’s exciting to be part of their journey even for a short while.”
She has been known to hand out coupons and offer advice to students for everything from baking tips to boyfriend problems. She even sews buttons on students’ shirts. She says she seeks to be of help especially to those students who are struggling with the experience of being on their own for the first time.
Janitor Dusts Competition
To the more than 1700 students, Sherry is a second mom. “No matter where you run into her, or whatever she’s doing, she’s always happy to say hello to you. She treats us all as family. It makes you feel uplifted. It would be very hard to get through campus life if it wasn’t for her friendly approach,” says Caroline, a business management student on the campus.
Sherry took the cleaning at Trine to help to pay the household bills as her husband’s disease begun to progress. He could no longer run his construction business. However, after taking up the job for a few days, she realized that she was in a special position.
“Every day, I pray for blessings on the students as I come to work,” she says. Albright views janitors and housekeeper positions as special. She says that they are in a special position to make a significant difference in colleges and public schools. To her, the job is much more than simply scrubbing toilets and polishing floors.
“You’re the people in the middle of the action on a daily basis. When you take the time to say hello and give a hug in the morning, you’ve helped that person have a good morning no matter what else happens” she adds.
The students at Trine voted for her for the “Janitor of the Year” award which saw her win $2500 cash prize and cleaning products worth $2500.
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