What do you love most about your job?
I love the people and the general work environment here. Everyone helps each other out and treats each other with kindness, appreciation, and respect. DavCo’s Christian values shine through in the day-to-day interactions between employees and in the general atmosphere that has been fostered here.
Tell us about a work-related success story that you’re proud of.
When the design director is on vacation, I cover for him. When I first started here, our department was short-staffed, so there tended to be a heavy workload. When the design director was out, I sometimes had to stay relatively late in order to get everything done. I remember one time I stayed until around 8 p.m. I’m grateful that our department is now fully staffed, and that covering for the design director is a lot easier and no longer requires staying late. However, it was rewarding to know that I kept everything moving and was able to finish everything that I needed to even when it was more challenging to do so.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m basically a huge nerd—I like reading, video games, anime, and other things in that vein. Fortunately, I have many friends who share my interests, and I also love investing time and care into those friendships. My friends are a creative bunch, so whether it’s music production, visual art, theatre, or something else, I love supporting their creative endeavors!
Describe an interesting hobby or pastime that you have.
I’ve been keeping a journal since second grade. I’m currently on volume 24, and some friends helped decorate it. The decoration includes drawings, favorite Bible verses, and sweet notes. The content of my journals includes records of my adventures with friends, my thoughts and feelings, interesting things I’ve learned, my opinions on various works of fiction, the occasional story, and more.
What’s something surprising that not many people know about you?
I catsit for a woman who was Merle Esh’s biology teacher in high school!
Do you follow any sports teams?
I’m not interested in sports myself, but one of my friends loves the San Francisco 49ers, so I always root for them if I happen to know they’re playing.
What are some of your favorite local spots to visit?
I’m a foodie, so I like enjoying Lancaster’s diverse array of culinary offerings. My friends and I can often be found at Genki Sushi and Grill. We’ve even befriended some of the waiters, and you can order a “Lauren’s Roll”!
What’s something that you’ve always wanted to try or learn?
If I had the time, I would love to learn to create digital art with a tablet. I’ve seen so much cool artwork from my friends and from creators online!
Tell us about a personal success story that you’re proud of.
I’m a huge cat lover, and my pet cat, Blossom, was originally a sickly stray kitten whom I nursed back to health. She was only a few weeks old when she was found in my neighborhood. She was covered in fertilizer, had an eye infection and a respiratory infection, and could barely keep food down. She either had no siblings or was the only surviving kitten of her litter. As far as I am aware, I was the first human to ever pet or hold her. She is now a healthy, thriving four-year-old cat who showers me with affection and brings joy to me, my family, and my friends every day.
How has your role evolved since you joined DavCo?
I started out as a combination proofreader/preflight specialist, with preflight taking up around 70% of my workday. As both preflight and proofing demands increased, the decision was made to split those into two separate roles. I now focus on proofreading (my favorite of the two) while my colleague Pam is our main preflight specialist. I still step in to help with preflight when needed, but proofreading now takes the majority of my time. I also started taking the official notes during our design department’s meetings, which I enjoy doing. I think it’s a good utilization of my fondness for listening, paying attention to details, and writing.
What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on and why?
The best trips are the vacations I’ve taken with my friends. It’s hard to pick just one as the absolute best, but a memorable one was when we all went to North Carolina for a weekend to attend a friend’s birthday party as a surprise. The look of shock and then joy on her face was unbeatable, and one friend traveled all the way from England to be there!
What’s your favorite memory from working at DavCo?
My favorite DavCo memory is also very recent. For around a month, there was a cat hanging around in the DavCo parking lot. My usual parking spot was not in view of the area the cat frequented, so it was a while before I first saw her. Once I did see her, she stole my heart with her sweet disposition. That same day, my coworker Becky and I spent my lunch break asking the neighbors if they knew anything about the cat. We quickly found the people who had been taking care of her, and they gave me their blessing to adopt her. I named her Morgana. She has adjusted to her new home remarkably quickly, and my family and I are already so attached to her. If I didn’t work at DavCo, I would have never made this delightful addition to my household.
What would you like to learn or improve in the future?
I have some software for creating my own video games, and I’ve had a lot of fun making short ones for my friends in the past. I’d love to improve my skills so I can create longer, more substantial games. I also need to do a better job with actually bringing my personal projects to completion. I tend to have so many ideas that I can’t possibly pursue them all.
What is one thing you can’t live without?
The truest answer is Jesus, because no one can live without Him, whether they recognize that or not. However, for the sake of offering an answer that is more unique to me, I will also say that I find friendship to be one of the greatest joys in life. I’m so blessed to go through life with such amazing people by my side.
If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
Japan. I have a Japanese friend whom I met when she was an exchange student in high school, and we continue to keep in touch. We send each other packages every year. I also have another friend who currently works in Japan as an English teacher. I would love to go visit both of them (and eat some authentic Japanese sushi!)
What does your typical day at DavCo look like?
I spend a lot of my time proofreading jobs that designers have finished working on and marking any corrections needed. In some cases, I make minor corrections myself. Once I have determined that a proof follows the instructions we have been given and is free from typos or other errors, I send it out to the customer or sales rep via their preferred method. The proof is accompanied by the job specs and any questions or notes we may have regarding the job. When I hear back on a job, I mark it approved or mark the changes that the customer requested. The job goes back to the designer, and if there were changes, I repeat the process of proofreading and sending out a new proof. Each day, I also follow up on any proofs that have been out for a week with no answer yet. I periodically follow up on jobs that have been out for even longer.
Tell us about your family / kids / pets.
As I mentioned above, I have a four-year-old tuxedo cat named Blossom, who is my sweet little companion. She has recently acquired a two-year-old tuxedo sister named Morgana, also mentioned above. I always look forward to coming home to them after work. I also have the best parents in the world, and a brother and sister-in-law who will be giving me a nephew in a couple of months! I’m very excited about that. And while they aren’t technically family, I have a wonderful group of friends that feels like family. I could never properly express how blessed I am to have them in my life.
Anything else you’d like to add?
If you happen to like Vocaloid or J-pop, go subscribe to my friend Trickle on YouTube!