Faces of Brown: Fatima Areia of UFS

Faces of Brown is an occasional feature to introduce the Brown community to colleagues.

by Mary Jo Curtis

Fatima Areia knows her role at Brown is an important one. She sets the tone for the day when she greets students for breakfast at the Ratty each morning.

“I’m the first person the kids see every day, the first to say good morning,” she says, flashing the smile and warmth that has endeared her to thousands of students, faculty and staff members in the 14 years she’s worked in University Food Services.

Although her job title pegs her as cashier/checker/clerk, Areia embraces a much larger role standing at the counter at the cafeteria entrance; she’s den mother, friend and confidante to the students who fill its tables each day.

“The kids love Fatima, and she knows them all by name,” said Claire Sidla, assistant director in Food Services and Areia’s supervisor. “And when they come back for reunions, she literally knows who they’ve married and how many children they have… Fatima goes well beyond the call of duty. She loves what she does.”

For seven years, Areia worked mealtimes exclusively at the Ratty, but now she greets students for breakfast and employees at lunch in the Ivy Room. Although she doesn’t know staff and faculty by name, she knows their faces.

“I love people, so I bring much attention to my customers,” Areia explained in a heavy Portuguese accent. “I love the students and my customers… my customers are very good people.”

According to Sidla, the personable Areia puts 110 percent effort into serving her customers. Even with hundreds of students coming through her line each day, she notices if one is missing – and makes a point of questioning the absence to make certain all is well.

“She knows when the students have a bad day, if it’s exam time, if the athletes have lost a game. She tells them that’s OK, next time you’ll do better, “said Sidla. “Their concerns are her concerns, and she knows their little secrets. She resolves their problems, whether it be not liking the meal or something more. If there’s a kid who’s lonely at Christmas, she welcomes him into her home. She reminds the kids about Mother’s Day, Father’s Day… she’s just amazing.”

Areia has made a point of befriending international students; she recognizes and understands their homesickness, even though it’s been 25 years since she immigrated to the United States from her native São Miguel, an island in the Azores. She relocated because most of her family had preceded her; the families of her students are often thousands of miles away.

“They talk to me, and they speak broken English and I speak broken English. My English is better, but we do OK,” she said.

For some of those students, Areia – mother of a grown son and daughter and grandmother of two teenage girls – has become a surrogate mom-away-from-home. Her stories are legion: the Chinese student she persuaded not to quit college to return home; the lonely Brazilian student who finally settled in after a letter from Areia to his mother prompted a reassuring midyear visit to campus; the injured student she visited regularly in the hospital – and still calls back on the West Coast for progress reports.

Her fondness for Brown students comes easily, she says.

“We have very, very nice kids,” she explained. “Every class is the best class coming, and then so is the next one.

“The kids tell me all of their stories, and they ask my opinions and introduce their girlfriends,” she added, laughing. “I’m very close to the kids – we talk about everything. And they listen.”

Although Areia still remembers her first Brown Commencement, she admits she’s skipped some ceremonies in the past few years.

“I try to go, but I cry too much,” she said. The students “are like my family.”

The difficult goodbyes are mutual. Said Sidla, “When people leave here, they never forget Fatima. That’s the kind of impression she makes.”