Like Mother, like Daughter

Whoever said college is the place to be on your own and get away from your parents has not met Sandra Oliver and Roslyn Scott. 

The mother-daughter duo has been working together in Lower Farinon for over 10 years. The two began working there in 1995, but in 2000, Oliver—Scott’s mother—took a medical leave of absence. Scott then took off for personal reasons. The two returned in 2006 and have been happily working since.  

The tandem gets along well in the workplace. 

“We are not just mother and daughter or two coworkers.” Oliver said. “We are best friends.” 

It helps that the two enjoy being around food. Someday, Scott would like to open her own business or restaurant.  

“Something related to cooking,” Scott said, who received a culinary arts education in Easton. Of course, she would make it a family business. 

Besides working together, the two live in the same house, although on different floors. They love barbequing together when the weather is nice, going for walks, talking, and playing bingo. Scott also likes doing thousands-of-pieces puzzles in her free time when she needs to unwind. 

The family tree branches beyond the mother-daughter team. Scott’s son, Daniel, works at Lafayette in Marquis Hall. Several of her cousins, including Gilbert’s cashier Vanessa Tyree, also work at the college. 

As for the coworkers who are not family, Oliver and Scott still feel a sense of kinship. “Everyone chips in to help everyone else,” they said, calling Lower Farinon, “one big family.”

“[I can] meet people from all around the world,” Oliver said about the students she meets.

Oliver has worked numerous other jobs, including at multiple nursing homes and the Lafayette Inn. Still, she calls Lower Farinon her “happy place.” 

Scott echoes her mother’s sentiments about Lower, adding that she enjoys the fast pace of the grill. “[I am] not used to just standing around doing nothing,” Scott said. 

While some college students might look forward to being far away from their parents, this mother-daughter pair works in harmony.

“[The key is] mutual respect and compassion,” the two said of their professional relationship.