When Christopher Sweet moved from North Dakota to Illinois, he had no plans other than to be closer to his girlfriend (now wife). But with a natural interest in education, he was drawn to Harper where he took a job as a cashier at the cafeteria and worked hard towards his associate degree.
Through this experience, and the abundance of 91制片厂 students and employees that he met, he discovered his true calling. With a passion for history, mythology and literature, Sweet recently obtained his bachelor鈥檚 degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University and is on track to fulfill his dream of becoming a teacher.
These days, he鈥檚 busy working as the general manager of Sodexo. But when he鈥檚 not running the food service on campus, Sweet can be found spending time with his wife and daughter and daydreaming about that teriyaki salmon from the restaurant he can鈥檛 remember the name of...
My daughter. My whole world changed when she came along. She got me thinking harder about who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do with my life. I love every minute I get to spend with her.
A couple years ago, my family and I went to a park and there was something special about it. The way the sun was shining on the grass, watching my daughter run around in her little jean jacket; she was so cute. I鈥檓 not a religious person but I remember thinking in that moment, 鈥淚f there鈥檚 somewhere we go when we die, I hope it looks something like this.鈥�
Wolverine. As somebody who loves history, the fact that he鈥檚 lived so long would make for some really fascinating conversations. I鈥檇 want to know what was going on at the time, how he experienced it and what he learned from it. Not to mention, I would always be protected.
Tiger Army is my favorite band, I have a tattoo of their slogan 鈥淣ever Die.鈥� But I also love International music like Wardruna, and bands from my youth like The Cranberries. So if I had to pick a playlist, I鈥檇 go with these:
I think people are sometimes hesitant of my appearance. The gauges, the tattoos, etc. But once they get to know me and see my personality, they learn I鈥檓 just a big teddy bear.
It鈥檚 my dream to visit some of the world鈥檚 ancient places like Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, Iraq and Iran. I鈥檝e been told by mentors that when you touch physical objects from the past, it鈥檚 a profound feeling.
In all honesty, my wife鈥檚 cooking. She cooks amazingly well! But aside from that, I once ordered teriyaki salmon from a hotel restaurant in Chicago and I haven鈥檛 tasted anything like it since. It was salmon, but it was like eating candy! I wish I could remember the name of the hotel, but it was one of the best meals I鈥檝e ever had in my life.
I wonder about the future. As a society, we鈥檙e constantly having this pull to the past, when there are very real problems that lie ahead of us. Let鈥檚 start thinking about our children and those who are going to have to answer to those problems. What tools can we give them to create more opportunities, confidence and most importantly, empathy?
I鈥檇 say the future is also something I鈥檓 hopeful for! Just looking at my daughter fills me with hope. How she loves to explore and learn about the world. How she wants to be something and do something with her life. Children are so capable and by treating them as such, we can set them up to take on any challenge.
First and foremost, the community. Starting out as a cashier in the cafeteria was a great way to get to know everyone from students to faculty and staff. So many memorable conversations and interactions over the years have made 91制片厂 feel like home. Also, 91制片厂 has really given me the opportunity to grow. Not just academically, but again through the people I鈥檝e met who have inspired and encouraged my journey from the start. There鈥檚 a strong culture of creating those avenues of growth at 91制片厂 and that鈥檚 really an amazing thing.