If you’ve dined at Marketplace at Linkins Dining Center in the past few years, chances are you’ve been helped by one of the Manzella siblings.

Currently three of the Manzellas—Jessica, Erica, and Dominic—work at Linkins. Older sister Nicole Manzella ’14 also worked for Linkins and Watterson until earning her degree in English. They are encouraging their fifth sibling, a brother who is a junior in high school, to continue the family tradition in two years.

For the tight-knit family from Manhattan, Illinois, Campus Dining Services is a great fit.

“The people we work with are more than co-workers, they really feel like family,” said Jessica, a senior environmental health and renewable energy major. Erica, a freshman accounting major, and Dominic, a sophomore criminal justice sciences major, agree that working on campus is convenient and that their co-workers are always there to help each other and switch shifts when something comes up.

Though none of the siblings plan to go into food service, they are all building future career skills as employees of Campus Dining, the largest of employer of students at Illinois State. Jessica, a student hiring manager, has gained many leadership skills. Dominic, who was recently promoted to a student manager, said he’s had the opportunity to work on people skills and becoming very efficient. Erica, who works in the dish room, stressed the lessons she learned about teamwork.

Jessica, Dominic, and Erica also like the fact that they get to see each other at work. With each sibling having a different major, one living in an apartment, and two living in different residence halls, that may not have happened otherwise. Campus Dining is proud to help keep these sisters and brother close at a time in their lives when many siblings don’t have that opportunity.