Michael Bradley, Executive Editor

Sometimes I can’t help but laugh at how small of a world Notre Dame can be. When I walked into a first floor office just inside Coleman-Morse’s south doors, looking to say hello to a high school cross country coach of mine who works there, I instead was greeted by a friendly lady whom I did not know. As luck would have it, we discovered that I had run with her son Juan in high school. Out of that morsel of commonality, the next “Who’s who” was born.

Lilia Leyva was born in Mexico just south of the Texas border, in the city of Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas. Her family (she was one of seven children) moved to South Bend when she was young, and she grew up on the west side of the city. After attending Washington High School, Lilia began working at the Ponderosa Steakhouse on Lincolnway.

“By nature I’m very energetic and I’m kind of hands-on,” Lilia said of how she was attracted to the food service industry. “Basically I started working part-time when I was in high school in food service and I enjoyed it and was working hard.”

Down the road, a friend of Lilia’s suggested to her that she apply to work with Notre Dame’s Food Services department. Lilia seized the opportunity to land a job with great benefits and applied. She was accepted, and for nearly three years she worked in the Huddle. Eventually, though, she wanted a change.

“I wanted something a little more consistent,” Lilia said, referring to both her working hours and the nature of her work. She secured a position with the Building Services department (which was eventually subsumed into the Campus Services department) – a job that came with many perks but at a cost.

“As a mother [of four], I’m grateful for the more consistent schedule now,” Lilia said of her Monday through Friday 8 to 5 schedule. “And I enjoy working around people. I think the best thing honestly that I like about my position is the interaction with the students and staff. It’s nice to work in a building that houses Campus Ministry, Academic Services for Student Athletes, and First Year of Studies.”

On the other hand…

“Having an office job is very difficult because you feel, I don’t want to say isolated, but you do,” Lilia confessed. “It’s a little different than Food Services and Building Services, in which I supervised and collaborated quite a bit.”

Having worked in Coleman Morse for about two years now, Lilia has settled into her role of building program manager, a position which she described thus: “As program manager I take care of reservations in the building for student activities. I address maintenance issues in the building.” She enjoys getting to know the student managers.  “From 4 in the afternoon to 8 we have students and it’s nice to talk about their classes and their life.”  Lilia is also responsible for scheduling every event that takes place in Coleman Morse.

As far as her current position is concerned, Lilia reflected that perhaps the only negative aspect was her inability to grant the many requests (to change the temperature of specific rooms, for example) of the folks who operate within the building.

“There are things I can’t control and sometimes I feel bad about what I can and can’t do, and sometimes I feel bad when I see them in the hall, but hopefully they get over it,” she said sincerely about her inability to change the temperatures due to university energy policies.

When asked what she likes about working at Notre Dame in general, Lilia had a ready answer.

“I was pretty happy before coming to Notre Dame,” she said. “But I’ve been at the university since 2004 and I really enjoy the campus atmosphere. It’s a nice place, and the possibilities for professional development through [the Human Resources department] are great, whether it be pursuing degrees or learning second languages. I appreciate that. Notre Dame really care about its employees. I’m pretty happy with the benefits–health benefits, tuition benefits, benefits in general.”

When asked about what she likes least about her job, Lilia thought silently for a time. Finally, “I think sometimes you have to be patient in terms of waiting for opportunities.” I asked her what she meant. “I like this position, but I’d really like to get into counseling,” she admitted. I’ve always wanted to work in a high school, counseling, definitely in an academic setting. Sometimes it’s easier to come in straight from the outside, rather than transfer from department to department.”

To that end, Lilia is hoping to enter a Master’s in Social Work program soon and, after earning her degree, get into general counseling. When asked where she’d like to be in 10 years, Lilia replied, “Here at ND counseling and work here until I retire.”

If Lilia found herself with the microphone at a crowded home football game, with the opportunity to share advice from her own life with Notre Dame students, she would tell them, “Don’t procrastinate! Besides that, work hard, challenge yourself, but make sure you balance work and socializing and have fun. There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of competitiveness here, and I see it in the students. When you’re here you’re always competing. But you have to have fun and sometimes you make mistakes. That’s part of life and learning.”

We chatted a bit more about student life at Notre Dame, how Juan is doing, and our experiences as South Bend residents. As I walked out of her office yesterday morning, I reflected on how many wonderful employees grace the Notre Dame community with their talents and hard work – and how few of their stories we as students know and appreciate. So next time you find yourself in CoMo, stop by the office and get to know the managers who run the place. You probably owe them thanks for your favorite study spot.

Michael Bradley is a junior who has thoroughly enjoyed writing “Who’s who” this semester. Contact him at mbradle6@nd.edu.