Kicking off this summer, Stewart Home and School has the honor of welcoming the 2024 summer staff positions. These span from recreation, residential, grounds crew, etc. My name is Josh Lumpkins and I am a marketing intern helping Myles Young and Michael Uber in IT. Come along with me as we meet our summer staff.

Before we begin, let me introduce myself. I am a Marketing and Management double major, entering my junior year of college at the University of Kentucky. A few of my hobbies include soccer, golfing, and fishing. Back in 2021, I worked in residential alongside my mom, Krista Lumpkins, and Tammy Blau. It was an unforgettable summer and when Myles asked me to work with him as an intern, I just could not say no. I love the campus and interacting with all of the students. I am excited to introduce you to our amazing summer staff. Starting off with our wonderful recreation staff!

Let’s kick off our rec staff with Daniel Cuesta. Daniel is 19 years old and a Florida native. He is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, double majoring in Finance and Strategic Management. He is involved in several clubs, including the Band of the Fighting Irish, Iron Sharpens Iron, and a nondenominational Christian group.. He mentioned that one thing he appreciates about college is the flexibility of his time. Daniel says, “Choosing how you invest your time wisely is how you can set yourself up to succeed.” When asked about why he decided to work at Stewart Home and School he said, “I wanted to dedicate my freshman summer to service and this is where God brought me.” He told me he has had some experience working with mentally challenged individuals, and loves interacting with them and learning from them. Daniel said that it’s “beauty and the unexpected.” He likes that it is a new experience every day.

Moving on we have Cecilia Pino. She is 19 years old and from Florida attending the University of Notre Dame heading into her sophomore year. Cecilia is pursuing a Neuroscience and Behavioral Science major. She loves the community of Notre Dame as she is a part of the running and pickleball clubs. Some of the hobbies she enjoys are  soccer, hanging out with friends, and running. When asked what she loves about Stewart Home and School she said, “The property is relaxing and makes me feel at peace.” Cecilia said she loves service work so when this opportunity came she just had to accept it.

Our next summer recreation staff is Jake Parritt. Jake is 22 years old from Kentucky and attends the University of Kentucky pursuing an Exercise Science degree going into his senior year. He tries to stay involved in the community at UK by being in the music program. Some of the hobbies he enjoys are disc golf, music, and hanging out with his cat. This is now his fourth summer spent here at Stewart Home and School. He loves the students here and the environment. He says that the “Stewart Home is just an interesting place with a lot of love and the students here create the environment.” Jake loves interacting with the students and being around them because it brings him joy.

The next recreation staff is Jacob Ramsey. Jacob is 20, from Kentucky, and attends Eastern Kentucky University entering his junior year. He likes college because it gives an easier segue to adult life. He loves football, golf, spending time with his grandparents, and farming with them. Jacob became interested after his father, Shawn, who works here, shared his experiences with him. One favorite memory that Jacob was telling me about was the splash party we had on Memorial Day. He told me he loved seeing all the students happy and playing around. Jacob liked to play with the water balloons and interact with all the staff members. He loves the interactions with the students and doing the activities with them.

Our next recreation staff is Trent Rutledge. Trent is 20 years old and is from Kentucky. He is  entering his junior year of college. He attends the University of the Cumberland’s and is majoring in Criminal Justice. Trent was also a part of the baseball program for two years. He said he planned to be in the police force and thought this job would help him gain skills in dealing with different personalities. He came to this job thanks to his friend and co-worker Jacob. Trent told me he was “scared at first” and he just sat back and observed the students’ behaviors to fully understand them. When I asked him what he loved most about the job he replied, “Every day is different, and that’s what I love most about the job.”

Introducing our next recreation staff is Kelly Dodge Hoskins. Kelly is 23 and just recently graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Recreation and Park administration. One thing she liked about college was the way her department was set up. It made it easy for her to get help or sign up for classes. She also stated that the campus was beautiful. Kelly said her academic advisor recommended the job based on her resume and she has loved it since. She said, “The feeling here on campus is very welcoming.” The students make her feel wonderful and happy to come to work every day. She loves the way the students treat her and enjoys the interactions with everyone.

Next up in our recreation staff is Lincoln Parrish. Lincoln is 19 and from Kentucky. He attended Marion College for baseball, then transferred to Eastern Kentucky University. Lincoln is heading into his junior year of college and majoring in Exercise Science. He started working here because of Jacob. He said, “It sounded interesting, and I thought it would be a fun experience.” Lincoln likes the fact that even if you are having a bad day, the students can change that. When asked about what it’s like working here he told me that “Every day is different from the last. The students are loving and caring and make this job easier.”

Onto our next recreation summer staff: Noah Regan. Noah is 20 years old and from Minnesota. He is entering his sophomore year and double majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Math at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, he is a part of the Rocketry Club and the Stats Club. Noah’s hobbies are watching and playing football, baseball, and basketball. He also enjoys playing chess, running, and lifting. His initial thoughts upon arriving were a mix of nervousness and excitement. Noah said the students “welcomed me with open arms” and that made him eager to start. Noah loves the rewarding feeling of helping the students learn and be successful each day.

Our last recreation staff member is Grace Choi. Grace is 19 and from Illinois. She attends the University of Notre Dame and is going into her sophomore year pursuing an Accounting and Finance double major. A couple of clubs she is involved in  are the Christian club and student international business council. Her thoughts about her first year are that it went by fast, but she enjoyed it. Some of the hobbies she has are playing the guitar and baking. Grace was a part of a ‘best buddies’ program in high school, where she was paired up with a mentally challenged student. She told me that doing that program made her want to keep interacting with mentally challenged people. Her first thought coming here was, “Everyone was very nice and they were trying to get to know me before I had even started working.” Grace feels rewarded coming to work here and doesn’t take any interaction for granted. She feels that every conversation and encounter is very special and important to her and the student.

That is all of our recreation summer staff! We are lucky to have such great people be a part of our recreation staff, and we enjoy all the hard work that they do to ensure the safety of our students and provide them with a great learning experience. Now I will help introduce you to our amazing summer staff in grounds crew, residential, and housekeeping/laundry.

We have two summer staff in the grounds crew position! First is Floyd Smith. Floyd is a 53 – year -old Kentucky Native. He went to trade school for welding and in his free time enjoys fishing and show cars. He heard about Stewart Home and School through a job listing and applied. He is currently trying to work his way to stay here full-time. Here, his responsibilities include mowing the lawn and trimming the weeds. Since he sees a lot of the property he said, “It is nice looking.” and enjoys working on it. As far as working here, he said the rest of the crew is “really nice and energetic.”

Our second grounds crew member is Trey Hollon. Trey is 20 years old and is from Kentucky. He attends Union College and plays baseball there. Some of the hobbies he has are baseball, fishing, hunting, and golfing. During school, he goes to class, baseball practice, and lifts. Trey heard about Stewart Home and School through a family friend. He said he mainly weed eats and does all the small work tasks assigned to him. Trey said he enjoys working here and it’s been nice to meet and interact with all the students.

Next up is residential staff Kendall Dailey. Kendall is 21 from Kentucky and just completed her undergraduate degree in General Management and Human Resources from Lindsey Wilson College this past winter. She is currently working on getting a graduate degree in General Business at Lindsey Wilson. Kendall is also a part of the softball team. Some of the hobbies she has are working out, traveling, cooking, and arts and crafts. She told me that her mom had worked here previously, and being from Kentucky she has known about Stewart Home and School. For her job, she helped move in Hilltop and Hillside after the building was finished. She also gets to help move in new students, organize rooms, and help move storage around. One thing she likes about her job is getting to see the students.

Last but not least, is our housekeeping and laundry staff Ronni Hazlett. Ronni is 19 and from Kentucky. She attends Georgetown College and is majoring in Graphic Design. One thing that she likes about college is the community. She also likes that it’s a small campus and it is easy to get to know people. Some of the hobbies she enjoys are sewing, arts and crafts, and singing. Most of her family works here so that is how she knows about Stewart Home and School. This week was her first week working here, but she has been here before. She loves how welcoming it is here, and loves the fact that everyone here is friendly.

That is a wrap on introducing our summer staff. We are so thankful for the generous and kind people working here during the summer. From housekeeping and laundry to residential, recreation, and grounds crew, we love the impact that you have on all our students and the contributions you make to helping the students here succeed and learn. The students here at Stewart Home and School love all of you, and we thank you for spending a warm and happy summer with us!

_{Author: Josh Lumpkins}