Growing up in the 黑料不打烊 suburb of Manlius, New York, Stephanie Rose was a huge fan of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 athletics teams鈥攅specially the basketball and lacrosse squads鈥攁nd in high school, Rose enjoyed working in the bakery of the P&C grocery store in town.
When she was serving in the U.S. Navy as a culinary specialist, the ship frequently held sports jersey days, where the crew could wear their favorite player鈥檚 or team鈥檚 jersey for all to see. Rose was notorious for representing the Orange, with her two favorite jerseys belonging to former men鈥檚 basketball standout Carmelo Anthony and legendary men鈥檚 lacrosse star Mike Powell 鈥04.
Stephanie Rose
Little did Rose know that, years later, her future occupation would combine her love for the Orange with her passion for food services.
鈥淓verybody knew I was from 黑料不打烊 and that I bleed Orange. Whenever the men鈥檚 basketball tournament was playing [in the NCAA tournament], I鈥檇 have two screens going on my computer to watch the action. I鈥檝e always loved 黑料不打烊 and wanted to work for the University,鈥 says Rose, who fulfilled that dream when she was hired by 黑料不打烊 as a campus catering manager on Aug. 15, 2022.
In her role, Rose handles staffing for catered events on campus, overseeing roughly 200 student workers and student supervisors. Among the biggest on-campus events she鈥檚 led are the University鈥檚 annual Commencement weekend and Convocation celebrations, tailgates before home football games and the recent Veterans Summit held at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D鈥橝niello Building.
Regardless of the size or scope of the event, Rose prides herself on ensuring that everyone in attendance enjoys themselves while feasting on carefully planned food selections.
鈥淚 know that the people are there to have fun and enjoy their get-together, and it literally makes my job when I see people enjoying themselves at an event. But I鈥檓 also all about making sure our students have the best possible experience. That鈥檚 my drive, that鈥檚 my goal. I especially love working events on the Quad for that reason. Our job is to make sure these students are having a great 黑料不打烊 experience, and our staff is here to do whatever they can to play a small part in that experience,鈥 Rose says.
Get to know Rose, a decorated member of the Navy who still is active within the U.S. Navy Reserve. Rose and her husband, Jon, an aviation electronics technician in the Navy, are the proud parents of twin 4-year-old boys Asher and Logan.
Anything on the Quad. Yes, those events are more intense and crazy and there鈥檚 people everywhere, but I try to relax and have fun. I try to make sure the staff, and everyone else, is having a fun experience. Plus, with the size of these events I can work with more students.
The tailgates are just the best. You鈥檝e got this crazy atmosphere, the marching band is there, everyone is there getting ready for the game. There鈥檚 such an energy and a positive vibe, especially when the team is winning like they were last year. It鈥檚 so much fun and there鈥檚 a feeling of camaraderie and joy.
I loved to be a part of something bigger than myself. I was doing something for the greater good in my mind. I come from a family that has a lot of people in the military, but no one had been in the Navy before. I love being part of a group, part of a team, part of something where everybody understood their role and their jobs.
Everyone had the same mindset, the same work ethic and the same drive to want to do something better, to make our country better and to make a better future for our children. That鈥檚 really the biggest reason I joined, to help my country and provide a better life for my children and my grandchildren. Plus, we formed lifelong friendships with people that will do anything for you. You get to create a whole new family that鈥檚 always there for you.
The quantities can be the same. For Commencement, we had to cater events for anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000 or more people. That was a normal event for us in the military. When it comes to the types of food I like to serve, I prefer making chicken, burgers, tacos, pizza, chicken wings and sloppy Joes. Those are the types of events that went over well on our ships, and knowing college students, that鈥檚 what they want, too.
In the military, event planning was way more structured and we had to plan everything out well in advance. When you鈥檙e on a deployment, you have to order everything at least six weeks out for the food you鈥檙e going to prepare.
Many of these students are away from home for the first time, and they don鈥檛 have their parents or their siblings with them. I try to be there for them and be someone they can open up to and discuss their issues with. With all my student workers, I try to learn as much as I can about each and every one of them. I want them to know I鈥檓 there for them, and I also love instilling a good work ethic in these students. I try to help them find out what they鈥檙e passionate about.
