While we’re away with family and friends giving thanks, keep in mind the great people working our dining halls every day to make sure we’re well fed.

I’m on the full meal plan, so I eat all the time at Hill. I pretty much know most the people workin’ there.

Bernard (a.k.a “Bernie”) has worked the grill at the dining hall in Hill College House for 12 years and loves doing it. You’ve probably seen him before. He works most days and I always chit chat with him for a few minutes. He gives good advice to “hang in there” when some days are tough to get through. He’s here for us (Penn students) and told me so: “What they may not know is that I’m here to please them.” He’s proud to fuel the future, and that’s why we should give thanks to some of the excellent dining staff we have.

Thanksgiving means different things to all of us. For most Americans, it means a tryptophan-induced coma topped off with pumpkin pie. For Penn professors, it’s an excuse to give an extra paper assignment, 300 pages of reading, and a midterm on Monday. For international students, it means attending lectures on the “history” of Thanksgiving.

Here are a few things about Penn that I’m thankful for:

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