Tessie Goins, a custodian on the Physical Plant team at Elon University, does it all. Goins always goes where the action is, and she can often be found cleaning up after events in Moseley, wiping down tables in Koury Business Center and attending to the bathrooms in Colonnades.
"Just anywhere I go, if on my way, even if it's not nothing that I'm supposed to do, if you see it, it's the right thing to do," Goins said. "You know, if it's out of place or if it's broke, fix it."
Goins works extremely hard behind the scenes, even going out of her way to pick up students' trash when they haven't gotten up to throw it away yet. Many Elon students appreciate her effort and enjoy getting to know Goins.
"Every now and then, they text me or I'll text them just to, you know, see how they're doing," Goins said.
Her smile and positive attitude can be seen all across campus, and people take notice. Many students make it a point to thank Goins for her hard work, even, sometimes, hugging her.
"Basically, it's really the students, you know, I like them," she said.
The students are just one of the factors that keeps Goins coming back to campus. She has worked at Elon for more than eight years. She likes that her job lets her "move around freely," allowing her to walk all over campus. Goins likes her coworkers, and she said that she doesn't mind working into the night or coming in on the weekends.
"You treat people how you want to be treated. And, you know, most of the time, you get it in return," Goins said.
Keeping the campus in good shape is Goins's top priority, and the positive spirit that radiates from the students, her staff and the campus community helps keep her going. She is a smiling face for everyone to see, making Goins an unsung hero on Elon's campus, always helping to keep it running.
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