启明星人| 北皋校区前运营经理Jennifer： “一朝是启明星人，永远是启明星人”

启明星人 10/20

加入一个社区的理由可以有很多，但最能让我们对它产生归属感和认同感的，往往是它包容、暖心的小环境。

启明星就是这样的社区，20年来，大家受到启明星的感召加入它，又共同塑造它。

正值启明星创校20周年之际，我们决定走近20个“启明星人”，展示他们的故事，进而呈现20年的启明星社区丰富且真实的一个个侧面：

本期《启明星人》，让我们走近北皋校区前运营经理叶香吟（Jennifer Yeh）。

北皋校区前运营经理叶香吟（Jennifer Yeh）

去年暑假，Jennifer从北京启程回台湾的日子里，大家并没有感觉到她真的离开了——不但是因为习惯了她在校园里忙前忙后的样子；还因为能时不时收到她发来的微信，嘱咐交接工作里的一些细节。

直到今天Jennifer还在电话里念叨，如果建校20周年的庆典没有时间回来参加，这个暑假她一定要拖一箱子好吃的回北京看看……

她真是操心又暖心，一直惦记着启明星。套用一句俗语就是——“一朝是启明星人，永远是启明星人”。

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Jennifer来自台湾。对每一份工作，她都百分百、甚至百分之两百的上心、投入。这让周围的人看在眼里，记在心上，也成为工作机会不断找上她的原因。

工作几十年了，Jennifer从来没写过简历，也没面试过。“都是老板直接找到我，让我做（工作）的。”她说。

来启明星也是如此。

Jennifer和启明星结缘于女儿的教育，从家长成为员工。

2010年Jennifer把女儿Nanda送到启明星上小学。“启明星有小而美的校园，我们很喜欢。还有就是Nanda的爸爸是加拿大人，我们想要孩子接受中英双语教育。再来就是启明星重视品德教育，教育学生该有的规矩和纪律，这些是从西方教育里拿不到的。”Jennifer说。

家长的身份也抵挡不住Jennifer的“爱操心”。“我很爱管闲事嘛，到处都看得到我。我还做过一届家委会主席。”Jennifer说，“2017年我关掉自己的面包房之后，恰好Jack（启明星执行校董许尚杰）来找我，希望我做学校的餐饮顾问，我就来啦。”

Jennifer从那时开始主管启明星餐厅的餐饮项目，后来又横跨运营部门，担任运营经理。Nanda的爸爸Bruce Gremo是音乐演奏家，也来到启明星担任音乐老师了。

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餐厅和运营的工作辛苦又琐碎，磨练人，也让她从中收获了深厚的同事友谊。

“餐厅的工作是很辛苦的，餐厅团队需要被认可。他们没有一个人会抱怨工作劳累，我很感激他们。”Jennifer说。

启明星的凤凰咖啡吧也是她牵头，和星爸星妈的几个核心成员一道做起来的。“我有开过面包房的经验，所以进器材，做菜单，都不陌生。我们用了大概一个月，到2017年第二个学期就把凤凰咖啡吧开起来了。”咖啡吧是非营利的，目的就是给老师和家长一个坐下来休息、沟通的空间。今天来到启明星校园，咖啡吧依然是不可或缺的温馨场所。

工作领域从餐厅横跨到运营之后，Jennifer的工作变成7乘24小时待命，疫情期间更是工作量加倍。“2020年第一次为了在疫情期间重启校园，我和同事们彻夜按照教委要求的100条检验标准准备材料。那是一次非常宝贵的经验，大家并肩战斗，熬了好几个夜班，从彼此身上学到很多东西。”

和启明星结缘的十几年间，Jennifer眼见学校在挑战中一步步走来，并且终于迎来了第一届毕业生。“我对启明星是有感情的。我看着它从小而美发展起来。我感谢同事对我的支持和包容，让我能发挥和迁移自己的能力。如果不是因为离家30多年，是时候回去陪伴年事已高的妈妈了，我愿意为学校贡献，继续在启明星工作下去……”

尽管是越洋电话，我们还是能感受到Jennifer对启明星的热情和怀恋扑面而来。

“一朝是启明星人，永远是启明星人。”的Jennifer，我们希望这个夏天能在北京看到她！

DAYSTARer 10/20

There are many reasons to join a community, but we experience the greatest sense of belonging from those with a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

Daystar is such a community. For over two decades, people have been inspired to join Daystar, and together we have shaped it. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Daystar. In recognition of this moment, we decided to interview 20 Daystar community members so that they could tell their stories and present a detailed image of the Daystar community:

Today’s post is about Jennifer Yeh, Former Operations Manager of Daystar Beigao Campus. 

Jennifer Yeh, Former Operations Manager of Daystar Beigao Campus

Last summer, Jennifer left Beijing to return to Taiwan, but for us, it didn’t really feel like she had left. This feeling wasn’t just because we were used to her being busy handling school affairs. It was also because everyone still received WeChat messages from her regarding work details.

Even today, Jennifer still calls often and said that if she can’t make it for Daystar’s 20th anniversary, she will bring a whole suitcase of snacks to Beijing when she visits Daystar in the summer.

She’s such a nice and caring person. Her heart is always with us at Daystar. To paraphrase a common saying – “Once a Daystar community member, always a Daystar community member.”

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Jennifer Yeh is from Taiwan. She is extremely devoted to her work, always giving 100%. People remember her dedication and frequently tell her about job opportunities.

She has decades of work experience, but she has never prepared a CV or done an interview. “Bosses found me directly and offered me the job,” she said.

It was the same when she joined Daystar.

Jennifer’s story at Daystar started with her daughter. Jennifer was a Daystar parent, and now she is a Daystar community member.

In 2010, Jennifer sent her daughter Nanda to Daystar’s elementary school. “We love the small, beautiful Daystar campus. Nanda’s dad is Canadian, so we wanted Nanda to receive a Chinese-English bilingual education. Daystar also highlights moral education, teaching students to follow necessary rules and develop good habits, which is unseen in Western education,” said Jennifer.

But even as a Daystar parent, Jennifer can’t stop herself from worrying. “I really like to keep myself busy, so you can see me involved in a lot of things. I served as the chairman of the Parent Committee once,” said Jennifer. “When I closed down my bakery in 2017, Jack [Jack Hsu, Executive Board Member of Daystar] invited me to be the school cafeteria consultant, so here I am.”

Since then, Jennifer has been in charge of catering for Daystar’s school cafeteria. She also later worked as the manager of the school Operations Department. Nanda’s dad, Bruce Gremo, is a musician, and he became a music teacher at Daystar.

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Running campus operations and the school cafeteria is tiring and tedious, but it’s not difficult for Jennifer. She has also established profound friendship with her colleagues.

“It’s really hard to work in the cafeteria. Each staff member should be recognized and respected because none of them complains about this job. I’m personally very grateful to them,” said Jennifer.

Daystar Phoenix Café was a project led by Jennifer with the help of core members of the Daystar Parents Academy. “I have experience of running a bakery, so I could handle the equipment, menu, and other things. We spent about a month finishing everything and opened Daystar Phoenix Café during the second term of 2017.” The café is not-for-profit, but instead meant to provide teachers and parents with a space to sit down, relax, and communicate. If you visit the Daystar campus today, Daystar Phoenix Café is a must-see location.

After transferring to the Operations Department, Jennifer had to be on call 24/7. She was even busier during the pandemic. “In 2020, we had to reopen the campus during the epidemic. To do this, my colleagues and I prepared materials in accordance with the 100 acceptance standards of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. It was a precious experience for me because we spent several nights together trying to make it happen and learning from one another.”

Over her years at Daystar, Jennifer saw the school overcome challenges, make great progress, and finally have their very first graduates. “I’m attached to Daystar because I watched it grow from something small and beautiful into something much bigger. I’m grateful for the support and inclusiveness from my colleagues and the opportunity to use my abilities. If it weren’t for the fact that I have been away from home for 30 years and that my mother is getting older and needs someone to care for her, I would want to continue contributing to the school and working at Daystar.”

Even on the phone, we can still feel Jennifer’s welcoming passion and nostalgia for Daystar.

“Once a Daystar community member, always a Daystar community member.” We all hope to see Jennifer again this summer in Beijing.

END

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