One of two full-time staffers, Tathiana is a daily figure at the law school
A sweet soul with a bubbly personality, Tathiana Xavier is one of two full-time staffers at Goodmans LLP Cafe. Hailing from Brazil, Tathiana arrived in Canada three years ago as a landed immigrant. Back home as a journalism graduate, she had worked for the internal communications department of Petrobras, a position which allowed her to conduct interviews as well as dabble in commerce. However, due to insecurity in Brazil’s economic, social, and political atmospheres, Tathiana and her husband left to rebuild a future in Canada.
Tathiana started out working at a privately-run Second Cup at the University of Toronto bookstore. She then moved from to the Starbucks at the Athletic Centre before being stationed around campus in non-permanent positions at various cafes. Two years ago, she was stationed at Goodmans when Jackman Hall was first opened. That turned into a permanent position and now she is a daily figure here at the law school.
When asked about her experience at the Law Faculty compared to her other stints around campus, Tathiana enthusiastically states that law students are the best customers she’s ever had. They are generally polite, nice, and have a smile to give the staff, even when they are stressed—and she can really feel the stress permeate from her student clientele sometimes. She senses the stress levels rise and fall as the school semester unfolds, knows the looks of faces before and after exams, and can sometimes intuit whether a student did well on an exam or not. However, given one word to describe law students here, Tathiana says “dedicated”—“Even when I was in school and holding a job, I was never like this. On weekends and holidays, you guys are always here. I think it’s beautiful and I am proud of the students.”
While there are many things to love about her work, including her close relationship with Jess, the other full-time staffer, Tathiana loves the social and relationship-building aspect of her job. On bad days, coming to work can even change her mood, Tathiana says. In addition to actively feeling appreciated, she describes students as open to sharing personal experiences such as in-firm interviews. In this way, students enable connections and friendships to develop. Sometimes, the team receives Christmas cards and thoughtful notes from graduating students, Tathiana shares. “I see you guys more than even my husband at home, so these connections are beautiful and important to me.”
Of course, the job also comes with its challenges. “We would like a bigger team, but the university isn’t hiring anymore full-time staff and there are gaps between part-time shifts,” Tathiana explains. As a testament to their frequent understaffed state, during this interview, one of the two staff had to leave to fill-in the cafe in the music building while the single music cafe staff went on break. This left one person to cover the long lunch-time line at Goodmans.
Outside of her position at Goodmans LLP Cafe, Tathiana enjoys going dancing downtown with her girlfriends. During the wintertime, her friends hide out in each other’s homes and host board game nights almost every weekend. In pursuit of her passion for journalism and social relationships, Tathiana has also picked up a public relations course at the University. She hopes to one day work as a Student Life Assistant, which she describes as her “dream job.”
Having given up a future in Brazil and beginning to rebuild a life in Canada, Tathiana has some parting words to share. “Life sometimes seems difficult and hard, but you always get rewarded if you do what you want to do. It might be delayed a little bit, but as long as you recognize the value in yourself first, you will always get to your dreams.”
P.S. For a simple and sweet treat, Tathiana recommends the almond latte at Goodmans Café.
