By Rhodes Sinnott & Charlie Miller

Hundreds of students every day visit the school café in the Sharp Academic Commons, buying food and drinks while exchanging friendly conversation with Natasha Lee, who helps make the magic happen behind the counter. Lee, a mother of a 21-year-old and a 16-year-old, is a barista who loves to bake goods. “I bake mostly sweet potato pie, pound cake, butter cookies, and peanut butter cookies.”

Photo credit: Charlie Miller.

Lee’s message to the students and faculty here at Collegiate is, “I work here because I love the students that I’m around every day.” She is patient, especially when she has to deal with many different orders at a time, day in and day out. She is willing to help every student and faculty member here consistently, no matter how busy of a day it is. Lee adds that every day her goal is to “make sandwiches, make sure everything is in order, and please the students and faculty.” Lee works hard and serves at the café every day from around 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. She gets to school early to get everything “stocked up and ready” for the day. She always has a smile on her face and finds joy in helping students with whatever they desire to eat or drink. Not only does Lee make delicious sandwiches and so much more, but she is also a caring individual who is always there for students to talk to. Lee represents the Collegiate community well and can always be counted on to make one’s day extra special.