Pat Osowski, a former Sharples employee beloved by many students, no longer works for the college. Osowski stated that she was terminated by Sharples management over the summer. The college’s Human Resources Department declined to comment due to the confidential nature of employment information. Osowski had worked at Sharples for 17 years.
“I started out doing pots and pans 40 hours a week,” Pat said.
“One day would be a twelve-hour shift … from there I moved to the dish belt. I moved from the dish belt to the front of the house. In 16 years I’ve moved three places to getting to the job, to moving up, to the front of the house where I can actually interact with students and give them advice, a hug, a happy hello, anything to make your day better.”
Simon Bloch ’17 spoke about how Osowski was an integral part of his experience at Swarthmore.
“I grew to really love Sharples — it became clear pretty quickly that the meals and conversations I had in that building would shape my growth and experiences at the school … Pat quickly became a crucial piece of that … It’s clear to everyone how much Pat loves her students, and I think part of that comes from her deep love for humanity. You can always count on her to bring a refreshing dose of honesty and kind-hearted human connection, Bloch said.
“It’s a rare and special thing to find someone who can engage with others on a real human level, whether it comes from empathy or just plain silliness. I think that as a species, we naturally remember people and moments like that, especially when it happens across boundaries of age, position, and background.”
Bloch’s fondness of Osowski is shared. 110 students and recent alumni signed a letter that Bloch wrote and sent to Human Resources to petition the college to rehire Osowski. As of publication, Human Resources had not reinstated Osowski.
Osowski said that what she loved most about her job was the students.
“I really love my students I love being to interact with them, being able to give them a hug if it’s a bad day … I miss all of that,” she said.
Featured image is of Pat Osowski, courtesy of Emma Ricci-De Lucca ’21
