Nicole McManus dreams of working with plants some day.
But for now, the shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes in the Flowing Wells High School cafeteria will have to do.
McManus, 20, graduated from the school in 2015 and stayed on as a cafeteria worker, where she has a reputation for serving smiles along with salads.
What she does
βShe was always a friend to someone in our class if they drove a wheelchair or was blind,β said life skills teacher Mimi Lawton. βShe was the first to say, βI can help.ββ
McManus served her classmates while living with a brain injury of her own.
That didnβt stop her from competing with the high schoolβs Special Olympics team or working as the team manager for the schoolβs tennis squad. Her love of growing things compelled her to join Future Farmers of America and she never missed class, Lawton said.
βShe did all of these things on her own and would just come and say, βIβm going to do this,β in spite of having a different way of learning,β Lawton said.
Why it matters
McManusβ persistence and kindness are examples for all students.
βI help others,β she said. βIf they donβt know how to do something, Iβll help them.β
Every day, McManus bikes to work. For the last several years, she has also volunteered at Flowing Wells Library, which is currently closed for expansion.
βThatβs what we hope for students in life skills, that they are employed and that they are happy.β Lawton said. βAnd Nicole stayed in our own community. She works at the school she went to and gets to and from work independently on her bike. She doesnβt rely on a parent to drive her.β
McManus is dependable, Lawton added. And that counts for a lot.
Encouraging peers
βJust be nice and help other people out,β Lawton said.
Itβs that simple.