By Leah Wilkinson
Smile. Laugh. Sing.
During her workday, UDH’s Sharon Gibson does all that and more.
Gibson, while intermittently singing along to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” as it played in the Bellarmine University dining hall: “I try to stay upbeat most of the time, but I’m only human. I don’t like to be sad.”
Her voice, both rich and recognizable, dominates the room.
What’s her favorite part about her job? That’s easy.
“I enjoy you guys [students] the most,” Gibson said. “And the food, of course.”
When I visited Gibson in the midst of her workday, she was wearing a hot pink headband for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and greeting student after student as they walked through the UDH doors.
“Hi! How are you today?” Gibson frequently said to students as they awaited their turns to swipe their IDs and get their meals. Her warm presence, genuine curiosity and kindness are served up alongside pizza, pasta and french fries.
“Sharon really just goes above and beyond,” senior Maddie Horton said in a telephone interview. “Her job tells her just to swipe people in and get us food, but she does way more than that.”
Gibson joined Bellarmine’s UDH team in the 2012-2013 school year after working 27 years in food service for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS).
“I enjoyed it, and I enjoy it here also,” Gibson said.
Tracy Quick, Bellarmine’s resident dining and concessions manager, said she hired Gibson.
“She has a great personality,” Quick said. “There really isn’t anything bad to say about her.”
Quick said Gibson comes to work bright and early at 7:30 a.m. and can be found in UDH Monday through Friday from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“She comes in every day like clockwork,” Quick said. “She’s wonderful.”
Quick said Gibson is known to ask others if they need help.
“The one thing I like about her is she’s dependable,” Quick said. “She keeps herself busy, and that’s a great trait to have in an employee.”
Quick told me she jokes that Gibson can’t retire from UDH until she retires.
“I wish we had more like her,” Quick said. “It was a good hire.”
Horton said Gibson always takes the time to get to know more about students than just their names and faces.
“She actually remembers personal things about you,” Horton said.
Although UDH is a spot on campus not focused on academics, Horton told me she believes Gibson always wants students to reach their fullest potential, adding that Gibson often asks her about her Writing Center podcast.
“‘When’s the next episode gonna be released? Where can I listen to it?’” Horton said.
“She’s like, ‘I’ve gotta encourage you guys to pursue your dreams and I’m like ‘Thank you, Sharon.’”
Gibson said she takes pride in seeing students as more than just familiar faces.
“You guys are just like my children,” Gibson said. “I want you guys to do well in your classwork and everything.”
In a telephone interview, Sophie Amaya — a Bellarmine junior who recently began working in UDH — said that although she has not worked with Gibson much yet, she feels that same sense of community Horton feels when around Gibson.
“I haven’t worked with her very much or anything but she’s super, super sweet,” Amaya said.
Amaya said even the most trivial acts mean so much when coming from Gibson because Amaya knows Gibson’s sincerity.
“Whenever I come in for lunch on certain days, she remembers I always get a to-go box and I just think that’s so sweet,” Amaya said. “[That’s] so little, but it’s so freaking sweet.”
Amaya said Gibson also takes time to talk to her about topics other than school or food, such as fashion.
“She always comments on my outfits, which is pretty great,” Amaya said. “She’s just so, so nice.”
Gibson said her love for the students is what drives her to do her job well.
“I do it because I love you guys,” Gibson said. “You guys make my day.”
Gibson said Thanksgiving is her favorite UDH meal.
“I enjoy the friendship and the fellowship,” Gibson said. “But you guys are first on my list.”
During the interview, a student walked up and gave Gibson a handmade mask. “Do I owe you anything?” Sharon asked. “No, don’t worry about it,” the student replied.
Gibson said that although she didn’t know the student’s name, she recognized her face. Gibson sees and greets so many students, and although she doesn’t know every name or every story, she recognizes their faces.
When not in UDH, Gibson enjoys being with her family and relaxing at home.
Gibson lives with her husband, James.
“We’ve been together for 40 years and been married 36,” Gibson said.
Together, they have three daughters.
“They’re all grown now,” Gibson said. “They have children of their own.”
And six grandkids.
Gibson, who for years swiped students’ IDs herself, has had to shift to letting the students swipe due to the university’s COVID-19 precautions.
“I’m glad you guys get the opportunity to do it now,” Gibson said. “You guys have got it down pat.”
With her infectious personality and kind spirit, there’s no doubt Gibson has affected many in the Bellarmine community over the past eight years.
“She really just helps make Bellarmine feel like a home to all of us,” Horton said. “I hope all who have the pleasure of meeting her get to feel the hospitality I’ve felt from her.”