Ana Patricia Romay entered Padre Rubio Hall ready to face her classes on a day that some students love and some hate. At the top of the stairs, behind the reception desk, stood a familiar, friendly face, Roweena Sehwani, with a surprise.
“She made hearts for Valentine’s Day,” Romay stated, “I glued it to my notebook.”
Sehwani, known as “Roweena,” is the first face that many see in the morning when entering Padre Rubio Hall. Her soft, welcoming smile and warm “hello” is a constant for many. She never misses a chance to be the first to greet students, faculty and newcomers from her desk tucked into a small space next to the front door.
Roweena stands tall, swaying and looking in every direction ready to interact with those entering or leaving the building. The blue quarter-zip she wears makes her marine blue eyeliner pop.
Valentine’s gesture
On Feb. 14, she saw made valentines as a way to bring joy to students.
“I’ve been working here for so many years and it never occurred to me that I could do this, and at the beginning I just thought about it randomly, I thought it might be a good gesture for students because the majority of them don’t have family here, right, and I thought maybe it might be nice for them to receive a heart,” Sehwani said. “I thought it was a nice gesture and I hope that some people saw it.”
The office of Victoria Taylor of Student Life is just a few feet away from Roweena’s desk, making it easy to see and hear her many interactions. When asked about Roweena, the first thing that Taylor said to describe her was, “she’s a personable person.”
“I hear a lot, I’m right here, so she knows a lot of students, she recognizes them, and I think, you know, making someone feel like they’re being seen and valued, I think she does a really great job at that,” Taylor said. “The campus vibe is very come and go, but she does make it feel like, you know, you’re home. It’s like you’re walking in and seeing your auntie for a while, so I think that’s really nice.”
Former SLU-Madrid student, Isaiah Voss, who is now the Social Media Content Coordinator, has known Roweena for years since his time as an undergraduate Spanish major.
“She’s like everyone’s mom,” Voss stated. “Because of her, I was always a few minutes late, because we were chatting.”
Sehwani has witnessed the transformation of SLU–Madrid over the years, starting over 34 years ago, taking a brief intermission for her family life and then returning after working at Suffolk University for a period of time. “I started working here in the 90’s and then I gave birth to my son, so after having the maternity leave I decided I wanted to spend more time with my son, of course, because he was just a baby, so I ended up quitting my job,” Sehwani said. “So then I came back to work here in 2013, so since ‘13 I’ve been working here nonstop.”
Student Maddi Alegria described Roweena as an uplifting spirit.
“When you first pop into Rubio, her fun energy is ulifting,” Alegria said. “It’s hard to fill her spot because of how much she brightens up the lobby.”
Roweena makes an effort to greet everyone, even if the gesture is not returned.
“I think the students are super nice, like, I can say 99.9%,” Sehwani said. “Some of them are a bit shy, I guess, that’s why they don’t say hello, or they put on their headphones or they try not to look at you. I think also there’s a lot of conflict these days, like you don’t know who to trust, so I think people are afraid to make eye contact or smile or whatever, but I don’t take it against them, of course I understand.”
Roweena’s commitment to making the SLU–Madrid community feel welcomed and supported shows her compassion and dedication.
“I would love to make people happy, you know, I mean I greet them as much as I can because sometimes they come in loads, and you can’t really greet everyone, but as they go in and out, I help them find classrooms when they’re lost, or professors or offices, I love doing that,” Sehwani said. “It’s great to help people because I know it’s very intimidating when you’re new and you’re afraid to ask questions, because we’ve all been there.”
Recognition for service
Roweena’s impact during her time at SLU does not go unnoticed. Last year, she received an award from the Student Government Association honoring her service to SLU-Madrid. She still carries the award with her while she works in Padre Rubio.
“I was super shocked and flattered,” she said. “I mean, many times I think nobody notices that I’m even here because everyone just comes in and out and sometimes you feel very insignificant.”
But to Ana Patricia Romay, she is anything but invisible. “She’s like the life of this campus,” she said.
