SCU's Cecilia from the Cellar's COVID Fundraiser
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If you attended SCU in the last 20 years, it is extremely likely that you have been greeted in Benson by a familiar face…Cecilia Carrasco, also known as “Cecilia from the Cellar,” has been a committed employee of the university since 1999 (longer than current SCU first years have been alive!). She is known for her contagious smile, hearty laugh, and her genuine care for SCU students. My friendship with Cecilia started my first year at SCU when I would blow all of my meal points on pints of Ben & Jerry’s and those Trolli gummy eggs candy. Every time I saw her she would greet me with a smile and want to hear all about my day. During my 4 years at Santa Clara, I would talk to this woman about what I was learning in my classes, when I was stressed about midterms, when I was homesick and missing my parents, and even about some crazy day party from the weekend. I call her Abuelita and she calls me Mija.
My senior year, all graduating seniors were allowed to invite a faculty member or mentor as their guest to the Senior Toast in Locatelli, and I made an invite and brought it to Cecilia one afternoon in the Cellar. She was so excited and she told me she had never been to an on-campus event before. That next Friday, she took the whole day off from work (the toast was at 4pm) and she went and got her hair and make-up done and bought a new dress to wear. I picked her up from Benson (like the good date that I am) and when we arrived at Locatelli, all of the seniors were so excited to see her and asking to take pictures with her and everyone was telling her how beautiful she looked. She really is the most beautiful person at Santa Clara. I remember her looking over at me at the end of the event and there were tears in her eyes and she said, “This is the best day of my life!” I think the response from all of the students goes to show how important of a figure she is in the SCU community. And I think her response goes to show how important the SCU community is to her.
I graduated 5 years ago and she is still someone I visit whenever I am on campus and text every few months to check-in to see how she is doing. During this uncertain and stressful time of COVID-19, and after hearing that the university closed campus, I texted her to see how her and her family are doing. Cecilia, being the selfless person that she is, wanted to know all about how I was doing, how my doctoral studies were going, and how my family was doing in Seattle. We talked on the phone for half an hour this past week, and she informed me that the university will continue paying her for the next couple of weeks, but then after that, she is uncertain what will happen and if she will need to claim unemployment. She vocalized concern for her daughter, her three grandchildren, and her life partner, Joe (who is also a long-time employee of the university as a gardener, and is also out of work right now).
Something she says to me at the end of our conversations is, “Muchas gracias por nunca olvidarte de me.” I am fundraising this money for her so that she knows all SCU students/alumni do not forget about her, and show the strength of the SCU community during this crazy time in our world.
While this fundraiser is for Cecilia, I recognize that there are many other employees in the same situation. I have tried contacting the Vice President of Human Resources, Employee Relations Specialist, and HR Operations at the university via phone and email to learn about how the university is supporting workers (specifically, who are not staff or faculty) during COVID-19. To date, the only response I have received was a link to the SCU COVID FAQ page which states, “To ease concerns and provide more certainty, benefits-eligible employees who are unable to work, because the nature of their work is not conducive to remote work and/or they have a reduced work schedule due to the current shelter-in-place environment, will continue to be paid their full base salary through April 30, 2020. In mid-April, the university will review and update employees with any subsequent adjustments that may need to be made based on a very fluid situation.” I will update this page as I learn more, but I think it is important for SCU alumni to make a point to let the university know that advocating for all workers is something we value.
This time of global pandemic has allowed for a lot of time of reflection about what is important and what is necessary. Communities have come together in response to help one another. I am calling on our SCU community to help someone who I know at some point in your time at SCU, saw you and cared and put a smile on your face. This is a time for us to recognize our privileges as students and graduates of SCU, and support others who do not have those same privileges. Please donate what you can and I plan on getting a check to her in San Jose and a card with the names of all those who were able to contribute.
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well.
God bless, and as always, go broncos!
Amia Nash
Class of 2015
Please share this link to get to as many alumni as possible!
My senior year, all graduating seniors were allowed to invite a faculty member or mentor as their guest to the Senior Toast in Locatelli, and I made an invite and brought it to Cecilia one afternoon in the Cellar. She was so excited and she told me she had never been to an on-campus event before. That next Friday, she took the whole day off from work (the toast was at 4pm) and she went and got her hair and make-up done and bought a new dress to wear. I picked her up from Benson (like the good date that I am) and when we arrived at Locatelli, all of the seniors were so excited to see her and asking to take pictures with her and everyone was telling her how beautiful she looked. She really is the most beautiful person at Santa Clara. I remember her looking over at me at the end of the event and there were tears in her eyes and she said, “This is the best day of my life!” I think the response from all of the students goes to show how important of a figure she is in the SCU community. And I think her response goes to show how important the SCU community is to her.
I graduated 5 years ago and she is still someone I visit whenever I am on campus and text every few months to check-in to see how she is doing. During this uncertain and stressful time of COVID-19, and after hearing that the university closed campus, I texted her to see how her and her family are doing. Cecilia, being the selfless person that she is, wanted to know all about how I was doing, how my doctoral studies were going, and how my family was doing in Seattle. We talked on the phone for half an hour this past week, and she informed me that the university will continue paying her for the next couple of weeks, but then after that, she is uncertain what will happen and if she will need to claim unemployment. She vocalized concern for her daughter, her three grandchildren, and her life partner, Joe (who is also a long-time employee of the university as a gardener, and is also out of work right now).
Something she says to me at the end of our conversations is, “Muchas gracias por nunca olvidarte de me.” I am fundraising this money for her so that she knows all SCU students/alumni do not forget about her, and show the strength of the SCU community during this crazy time in our world.
While this fundraiser is for Cecilia, I recognize that there are many other employees in the same situation. I have tried contacting the Vice President of Human Resources, Employee Relations Specialist, and HR Operations at the university via phone and email to learn about how the university is supporting workers (specifically, who are not staff or faculty) during COVID-19. To date, the only response I have received was a link to the SCU COVID FAQ page which states, “To ease concerns and provide more certainty, benefits-eligible employees who are unable to work, because the nature of their work is not conducive to remote work and/or they have a reduced work schedule due to the current shelter-in-place environment, will continue to be paid their full base salary through April 30, 2020. In mid-April, the university will review and update employees with any subsequent adjustments that may need to be made based on a very fluid situation.” I will update this page as I learn more, but I think it is important for SCU alumni to make a point to let the university know that advocating for all workers is something we value.
This time of global pandemic has allowed for a lot of time of reflection about what is important and what is necessary. Communities have come together in response to help one another. I am calling on our SCU community to help someone who I know at some point in your time at SCU, saw you and cared and put a smile on your face. This is a time for us to recognize our privileges as students and graduates of SCU, and support others who do not have those same privileges. Please donate what you can and I plan on getting a check to her in San Jose and a card with the names of all those who were able to contribute.
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well.
God bless, and as always, go broncos!
Amia Nash
Class of 2015
Please share this link to get to as many alumni as possible!
Organizer
Amia Nash
Organizer
San Francisco, CA