If you’ve ever had to pick up a paycheck over the winter break in the past 15 years, chances are about 100 percent that you’ve seen Elvia Garcia’s smiling face that day.
“Every year, I’ve been here on the last day of the year during winter break to disburse payroll checks,” says Garcia. And does she mind this annual responsibility during the break? “No, never,” she says.
As a financial representative in Financial Services, Garcia is responsible for paycheck, financial aid, travel and vendor check disbursements. She’s well aware of the importance of the responsibility of her job—as evidenced above—and has never in her years on the job taken a day off on payday or the week before it.
Garcia began as a staff member in Accounts Receivable in 1981, where she was responsible for non-resident student registration. After a few years, she moved to a position as an assistant to the then-dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, William Sullivan.
But the lure of student service beckoned Garcia once again, and four years later she began work for Financial Services. “I actually have more interaction with students in this capacity,” she says.
Despite the high profile paperwork plays in her job, Garcia enjoys the interaction with University customers. “I’m a people person,” she says, “And it’s gratifying to help people resolve their problems.” Financial issues can be stressful, Garcia says, so she does her best to reassure customers that their problem will be taken care of quickly.
Although retirement isn’t looming around the corner, Garcia has given some thought to what she’ll do to fill her time after leaving the University.
“I’d love to work with children,” she says. “My dream is to volunteer with a local hospital and spend time with children who have cancer, to brighten their day a little.”
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