Dawn Holm

Dawn Holm talks about her commitment to Dining and why she continues to show up for her team.

Born in Culver City, California, Dawn Holm moved 30 times before the age of 30. As you can imagine, Dawn has perfected the packing process. “My husband said I can get ten pounds of stuff in a five-pound bag,” she said with a smile.

Dawn didn’t know it then, but the challenges and changes of moving from city-to-city were setting her up for her future career. “Food service is always changing. Working here, my days are never the same,” Dawn said. “But I love that.”

Dawn’s experience in food service began at the Tower View Café in Tower City, ND. She worked there from age 14 to 22 and moved from dish washer, to cook, to waitress. After graduating from Valley City State College, Dawn dabbled in a few different industries (most notably, professionally building and shooting fireworks), but she came back to food service. “Food Service is more than meets the eye,” Dawn explained. “You have lots of tasks that have to be done behind the scenes to make things go smoothly. Dining is like a team sport because we all have our jobs to make it work.”

In the fall of 1990, Dawn joined Team Dining as a Food Service Worker at Club West. “Club West was below the West Dining Center,” Dawn explained. “It is where the current computer lab is located. There was a burger and fry area, a sandwich and salad bar, and a space for a DJ and people to dance.”

Thirty-four years later, Dawn has held numerous titles and her responsibilities have grown too lengthy to list. If you stop by the Residence Dining Center, she is always doing something different and always on the go. “I know what it’s like to be short-staffed and not have support. I don’t believe in shorting someone if I don’t have to,” Dawn explained. “I do what has to be done and help wherever I can.”

Dawn’s commitment to Dining is driven by the mutual respect among her team. “Our management team is stellar and they are really supportive of their staff. They help us and respect us, and that makes a difference,” she said. “And it’s so fun to work with college kids. They keep you young, and you kind of become a mother hen to them, helping them through life. You get to be that someone to talk to. They are just like family.”