By Tyler Dahlgren

The lunch rush is coming.

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you know that it always is. Preparation is half the battle, the foundation to a successful day, and there’s not a minute to spare.

The kitchen at Great Western Dining on the campus of Southeast Community College in Beatrice operates like a well-oiled machine. You don’t just earn 4.7 stars on Google without a high standard of careful coordination and precision, after all. 

On this particular morning, Tristan Taylor, Cole Young and Zach Newby, three of the machine’s key cogs, are on dessert duty. The trio are a part of ESU 5’s Academy, a transition/life skills program for 18-21 year-olds that was launched this year. They move in synchrony, diligently going about their tasks before taking a five-minute break to talk shop with the guy with the camera.

“My favorite part of this job is helping others out with whatever they need and being part of something cool,” said Young, a Freeman Falcon and the most outgoing of the three.

When Cole first stepped into the kitchen, he was shy. You’d never know it now.

“You see him talking to kids in the cafeteria and he even joined the Student Senate here,” said academy instructor Jacki Tegtmeier, who calls this her favorite job out of 25 years in education. “You see them grow in communication, time management, socialization, and just their confidence. They’re gaining so much self confidence. They’re just blossoming.”

While Young commutes from Freeman every day, Taylor and Newby come from Diller-Odell. When a student is on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), school districts are required to serve that student through the school year in which they turn 21. The three years between 18 and 21 is all about expanding comfort zones. 

ESU 5’s Academy is an introduction to the real world, and it’s already showing signs of inspiring success.

“I love them,” said Great Western Dining manager Jerrica Klein. “They have the energy and they’re always smiling. I love how willing they are to help, and to listen, and to put all of their effort into everything they do.”

Having an incredible partner like Southeast CC a mile from the ESU 5 offices is advantageous, said Director of Special Education Dr. Brenda Tracy. 

“They’ve been great to work with,” she continued. “Everybody’s been open to having the students come in and they’ve embraced them. We’re lucky to have them right here. It’s kind of the hub of our service unit.”

The group is all business in the kitchen, but Klein isn’t lying about the perpetual smiles. They’re proud of their work, and there’s an attention to detail that’d be impossible to ignore.

“They’re just fun,” said Denise Marr, who works at Great Western Dining and spends a lot of time with the students. “You can tell they’re putting in a lot of effort. It’s always good to see them. They just brighten the days up for everybody.”

Tegtmeier is intentional about celebrating the many daily triumphs of her students. There’s no small successes in here, either.

“We celebrate the little things,” Tegtmeier said. “It has been a dream job of mine to be able to teach these kids how to work and to give them the skills that they will hopefully be able to use to land a job after this experience.”

In fact, one of her students from last year was able to do just that. One of the grill's cooks, Andrew Klecan, is a Diller-Odell graduate who parlayed working in the Great Western Dining kitchen into a steady, well-paying job. Stories like Andrew’s serve as anecdotal evidence to the power of programs like this.

“They always amaze me,” said Tracy. “They get to be more independent here, and it’s amazing to watch them catch on. They know what they’re supposed to do. They know they have to wear their gloves. They know what steps they’re going to be taking and they’re doing the job. We don’t want them to come out to a place and have them water the job down. What they’re doing right now is what anybody who is hired would be expected to do.”

The three work off one another well, Tegtmeier pointed out. Young, as stated, brings exuberance. He hopes to make a career out of cooking. Taylor is a tactician. It’s fitting that he one day hopes to work as a mechanic. Newby is just a task-oriented go-getter. He gets things done.

They have a classroom space near the student lounge, where they shoot pool and play foosball from time to time. They’ve made friends with Southeast CC students.

“They feel like they’re at college,” said Tegtmeier. “They just feel like they belong here, and the kids here have taken them in and made them feel comfortable.”

The delicious desserts have done nothing to dampen the trio’s reputation around campus, either. They beam with pride as they slide a tray of pastries, pies and cakes onto the serving table in the dining hall.

It’s the final product, what they’ve been working so hard on all morning, but it’s not the one that Tegtmeier is most excited about. That’ll come down the road, and she can’t wait to watch it unfold.

“My wish for them is that they’d be employed and that they fulfill their dream, whatever it may be,” Tegtmeier said. “To live on their own if they want, to have a job, to earn money, it’s all out there for them.”

Taylor looks at the clock, and declares break time over.

For ESU 5’s Academy, it’s back to work. There’s not a minute to spare.