October Employee of the Month: “I can be myself at Boone.”
Jeanine Hickman is Boone Hospital Center’s Employee of the Month for October 2014. Click here to nominate someone for Employee of the Month.
When Jeanine Hickman was told that she was Boone Hospital Center’s October Employee of the Month, she did a literal victory dance, high-fiving her many co-workers who had gathered in the Boone Appetít Café for the announcement. Known for her outgoing personality, great customer service and sense of humor, neither the award nor her reaction were a surprise to those who’ve met Jeanine.
“I can be myself here at Boone,” she says. “I don’t have to pretend to be anyone but Jeanine – and I’m happy to be me.”
Jeanine joined the Boone Hospital team in early 2013, working part-time as a cashier and barista at Boone Appetít. She later went full-time in the cafe, until May this year, when she accepted a position in the hospital’s catering department, preparing and serving food for meetings, special events and other activities. “I started on the first floor making coffee, then I went upstairs to make sandwiches,” she says.
Jeanine grew up in Malden, a small town in southeast Missouri, as the youngest of 25 children. Upon graduating high school in 1996, she had lived for a couple of years in Columbia, then moved to Saint Louis. She later returned to mid-Missouri in August 2010, to provide a change of environment for her young daughter. While living in Saint Louis, she had worked at another BJC hospital, Missouri Baptist.
When she’s not working, Jeanine loves spending time with her daughters Natalie, 8, and Lily, 2. “My spare time is all about my girls. We sing and dance around the house. We do girl stuff all the time, dress up, put on make-up. I love being with my girls.”
Jeanine says she loves everything about working at Boone Hospital Center. Working at Boone Appetít, she quickly made friends with regular customers, including co-workers, patients and family members, winning them over with her positive attitude. “If I can make your day, I’m here to make your day,” she says.
She was so well-liked by her regular customers that, when Jeanine first moved to the catering department, people dropped by the Nutrition and Food Services office to ask where she went.
While she may miss her customers, Jeanine also loves working in the catering department, and takes great pride in making delicious and beautiful-looking food: “I like what I do. This job shows my variety and what I’m capable of doing outside of making white chocolate mochas.
“With caramel,” she adds, laughing.
Jeanine, who began working as a teenager, says that without a doubt, Boone Hospital Center has been her favorite place to work.
“The Boone atmosphere is amazing. Everybody is so friendly, and everybody is treated like an individual,” she says. “I’m so excited to be here – I know I keep saying that, but I really am.”