Spider Spotlight
A Q&A with Maya Vincelli, Manager, 8:15 at Boatwright and ETC
Maya Vincelli enjoys bringing new products to campus for customers of 8:15 at Boatwright and ETC.BY LIA TREMBLAY
Writer/Editor, University Communications
What’s a typical day like for you?
I usually start at the café around 7. I can fill up on caffeine here! I usually work here through the morning, and then around noon, I head over to ETC to do ordering and receiving paperwork. I have about 50 employees between the two locations, mostly students, and they’re all great.
How long have you worked at UR?
About four and a half years now. My mom (Diana Vincelli, director of grant support) has worked here for years, and I sort of grew up on this campus. A few years ago, when I was assistant manager at a Barnes & Noble café, she told me they were planning to put a coffee shop in the library here. So I applied, and I’ve been here ever since.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I’m a naturally restless person; the status quo is never enough for me. So I love that I have a job where I can see what the trends are and change things whenever I need to. I’m able to research new products and bring them to campus so that it’s never the same old thing. For example, we’ve added a line of Virginia products in the store to show out-of-state students what Virginia has to offer. It’s not just peanuts, either; there’s sea salt from the Chesapeake Bay, hot sauce from Chincoteague, you name it.
What presents the biggest challenge in what you do?
The challenges are a lot of the same things I enjoy. Since we’re at a university, our market changes drastically every year; so I have to stay on top of what the new students are into and what they’re used to getting at home. That way I can change our orders if we need to. But that’s fun to me; I like trying to keep up.
Are you from this area originally?
Yes, born and raised in Richmond. That’s one reason I like being able to find Virginia products to bring to campus. I like showing students what we have.
You mentioned that your mom works on campus too. What about the rest of your family?
I’m one of triplets, including a brother and sister, and we have one older sister. My sister Lauren went to school here so for a while, my mom, sister and I were all on campus together.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m a big reader. I get through a book every four days or so, mostly about food and beverage and the trends related to them. I also love to cook, especially French and Italian cuisine. I also joined a roller derby team, and I’m having a great time with that. My derby name is “Brawling Barista.” I wish I could take credit for that; my work family came up with it!