A charismatic woman sits at the University of Oregon Fresh Marketcafé cash register smiling and laughing as she rings up sandwiches, pasta bowls and sushi. Her hearty laugh and jokes resonate throughout the dining area, causing students to cast smiles her way.

This woman is Yoly Rios, a cashier at the innovative new café in the Global Scholars Hall. On any given day, you can find her laughing with students and asking students about their days, providing them with encouragement and comic relief during a stressful school day.

“I love being around people—all kinds of people,” Rios said. “And students give me so much energy. They spoil me; it’s like we’re family.”

When Rios was 16 years old, she left the beaches of Nicaragua to live in the United States. She has come a long way from her nervous beginning at the UO – and today she’s sure this is the job she was meant to have.

For more on Yoly Rios, see the story by Katherine Marrone, UO Housing copy writing assistant.

- from UO Office of Strategic Communications