By Sammy Ramirez, JRN 111 Student

Kindness. It’s something that seems like it’s disappearing. But luckily, Norine Fournier is proof that kindness is still alive and well in our world. 

Fournier, a cashier in the Moraine Valley cafeteria, has worked there for 15 years. In that time she has become a part of the daily lives of students and staff, dispensing small acts of kindness that have a huge impact. 

“She’s just like the spirit of Moraine.” Melissa Mena, Moraine’s cafeteria manager, says.

Fournier is excited to see people, loves listening to stories others share with her, and remembers who has what going on. She consistently asks her regulars about what’s been said before the next time she sees them. Her welcoming and friendly personality is warmer than a Florida summer’s day. 

“It’s fun to learn about other people,” says Fournier. 

“It’s fun to learn about other people.”

Norine Fournier

She values feeling connected to other people, which drives her to start up conversations with the students she sees. Her position allows her to form bonds with students that professors can’t.

“When they first get here, they’re scared,” Fournier says.

She wants to make students feel welcome at Moraine Valley and help them overcome any fear or shyness they may have. 

“At the start of every morning I go to the cafeteria to get a snack and we always have small conversations about the day before, or how our weekend was,” says Sal Chavez, a Moraine Valley student. “I remember one time we were talking about our spring break, and she told me about how she had a girls’ night out and had ended the day with a pajama sleepover.”

She wants all the students at Moraine Valley to feel happy about being here and excited about doing extracurriculars and getting an education. She’s also active in coming to certain events.

“I go to the plays. Not always, but I do try,” Fournier says. “I feel like a grandma.”

Students tell her about events and while she does go to performances, she consistently asks students who wear Moraine sportswear how games go, what’s coming up, and how training goes. She says that everyone needs someone who is truly interested in what they have going on.

But Fournier has a life of her own that people don’t ask about enough. Before she worked at Moraine Valley, she was a bartender for local pubs and helped cater parties and weddings. She says that bartending and being a cashier are very similar to each other, “except the people here don’t drink.” 

She also worked in a warehouse for UPS. 

“They used to call me Mom because I was 38 years old, and I was loading the trucks. There were 18-year-olds that were like ‘Oh, this is too much work,’” Fournier said.

Her family life was also hectic. With four kids, three sons and a daughter, and about 12 years between two husbands, she’s always had her hands full. She says she always had fun with parenting and that it was an amazing experience with the highs and lows. 

“The girl’s the hardest. I don’t want to say she was fussy, but the boys didn’t care if they’d wear the same T-shirt the next day, or whatever.”

Fournier’s family continues to grow, and she has six grandchildren. The youngest one she won’t let out of her sight because of stairs, but she loves spoiling them. 

“They call me Grandma Stella. I don’t know why but my one grandson called me that and it just stuck.” She says. “Someone bought me a plaque, it says, ‘Grandmas are angels here on Earth’. And I feel like that.”

“They call me Grandma Stella. I don’t know why but my one grandson called me that and it just stuck.”

Norine Fournier

Fournier believes it’s a grandparent’s job to spoil the grandchildren. On more than one occasion she has told her son that she can give her grandchildren as much candy as she pleases. 

The warmth Fournier radiates extends to everyone around her, and she has so much love for people and spending time with them. She’s a giver who would give until she had nothing but dirt in her hands, and even then, she would still offer her time and conversation to those who asked for it. But she feels like the giving she gives out is given right back to her.

“It’s unbelievable how nice everybody is,” Fournier says. “I’m not just saying that. I’ve never had a bad day here.”

At the end of the day, it’s the small things that really matter to people. Offering to buy someone’s lunch, stopping to have a chat, or even just a “Hey, how are ya?” can brighten up someone’s day. Everyone could use a little more kindness. And Norine Fournier provides it.

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PHOTO BY AIDAN MCGUIRE