When Arlette Wallace walked into the Marketplace to begin her shift on her birthday last May, she found her coworkers gathered with gifts, balloons, a cake and a birthday tiara. 

“It was overwhelming, to say the least,” she said. 

Wallace has been working at d-hall since last August. Her sister, who also works at d-hall, referred her to the position. Wallace said she quickly became part of the team. 

“We’re like family,” she said. “That’s the kind of people we work with. The kids are special, but so are [the employees].” 

Throughout her time working at d-hall, Wallace says she has developed friendships with many of the students she interacts with. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a rude kid here at W&L,” she said. “They’ve all been awesome and respectful. You don’t see that anymore in this world.”

Wallace and her sister spend time together both on and off campus. Wallace said they often spend weekends together in her camper. 

At work, Wallace said she and her sister will often tease each other, which brings her joy during the day. But their connection goes beyond jokes during the day. Wallace said her sister will often check up on her if something seems wrong.

 “She sees I’m upset about something, and she’ll say ‘Okay, you’re upset. Why?’”

Before joining the Marketplace team, Wallace spent 18 years working at the Target Distribution Center in Stuarts Draft. She was the second person hired there in 1996 and worked in IT. She drove an hour to work each day. Eventually, Wallace said, Target let over 900 people go. She was one of them.

She said she did not want to return to IT because it would require her to travel too often, so she found a position at Walmart. She worked there for 10 years and served as the head of the produce and meat departments, driving only 12 minutes to work each day.

Wallace said she decided she was ready for a change and applied for a job at d-hall. 

“It’s been interesting. I’m used to working around food, but not cooked food, so that’s been a little bit different but enjoyable,” Wallace said. 

At home, Wallace enjoys reading. She said she lives with her granddaughter and her youngest son, who she said often helps her out with household chores.

Although her job can be demanding, Wallace said she enjoys meeting students and interacting with people at d-hall.

“I’ll continue to work as long as I can just because the kids bring me that much joy,” she said.