You may or may not like getting coffee from DripThru, the coffee bar in the Student Lounge, but have you ever wondered who’s actually making the coffee? Well, one of the baristas is Courtney King, one of the few who work for DripThru at Woodward. She came after she graduated from Georgia State University, becoming a certified exercise physiologist. She had many other jobs, like working at a physical therapy clinic and as a medical scribe for a pediatric doctor’s office before she started working for DripThru.
Courtney found herself loving Woodward’s open and loving environment as soon as she started working, getting acclimated almost instantly. Courtney enjoyed the change of scenery in her day-to-day routine when she first came to Woodward. She loves everything about Woodward, but there’s one thing that she adores out of everything.
“My favorite thing about Woodward has been getting to know my regulars at the kiosk and seeing their excitement when I remember their orders,” Courtney said. “I just feel like it proves that being a small part of someone’s daily routine can still provide a positive experience.”
Courtney makes sure she shows her regulars a little extra love, not only remembering their orders, but going out of her way to ask for their names and greet them every morning correctly. With care, she prepares their drinks like it’s second nature. Channing Albritton ‘29 became one of Courtney’s regulars at the beginning of the school year.
“The first time Courtney asked for my name, I got really excited because I knew that meant something, you know?” Channing said. “Now, every time I go to DripThru, she says good morning to me with my name at the end of it.”
It’s been a long journey for Courtney to get to where she is, though. She worked at some demanding and hardcore places before working for DripThru at Woodward. Woodward gave her a slow-paced and calm job, completely opposite from her previous jobs.
“[My previous jobs] were all very fast-paced and demanding and like… that led to me burning out,” Courtney said. “I needed to like… step back and find a balance.”
DripThru gave Courtney exactly what she was looking for when it came to balance in her life. Courtney had already been a regular customer at DripThru, which was local to one of her previous jobs. One day, Courtney walked inside DripThru and decided to be bold and make that change she wanted in her life. DripThru at Woodward helps Courtney have a flexible routine, connect with more people that are outside her usual circle, and it’s even been a breath of fresh air for her.
“I decided to ask if they were hiring and… yeah, I’ve been working here ever since as a barista,” Courtney said. “I think that was a good decision to make.”
Just as Courtney loves Woodward, Woodward loves Courtney. Many people go to DripThru a lot throughout the school year and become regulars, like Channing. Almost every day, Channing is greeted by Courtney’s warm and welcoming smile.
“I absolutely love Courtney just because of how sweet she is,” Channing said. “She also just has a really pretty smile and is on top of everything all the time.”
Not only does Courtney have good customer service, but she is also good at her job. From customer to customer, she jumps from taking orders to preparing the drinks. The drinks vary from coffee to smoothies, and they even sell some donuts from time to time. Channing appreciates the work Courtney puts into making sure people are satisfied.
“I really, really like getting DripThru when Courtney is there,” Channing said. “I didn’t like coffee until my friend told me to get DripThru. Courtney made my drink and now, I get it like every week.”
Woodward is a great and exciting experience for Courtney. She appreciates the Woodward community and she doesn’t plan on leaving DripThru at Woodward anytime soon.
“I plan on staying here long term and hopefully I can be here as long as possible,” Courtney said “I truly enjoy my job.”
