Lashelle Brown: Making The Perch a home away from home

If you haven’t met Lashelle Brown, you might need to take a trip to The Perch in Sutherland Hall, because according to staff, students and alumni, it could change your life. 

Lashelle Brown, lead cashier of Pitt’s upper-campus dining hall, The Perch, hopes to make first-year students feel welcomed and help them have a positive college experience.

Brown has worked at Pitt for 25 years, doing every station except for line cook, and began her position as a lead cashier this year. She said it’s taken her a “long time” to assume her overseeing position as lead cashier, where she makes sure the shifts run smoothly, assists with training new associates, cleans stations and fills in if there are any callouts.

“I’m on the floor, and I’m supposed to make sure the floor has [what students need] because I’m the face you see when you come up,” Brown said.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Brown said she is your “everyday mom” of five and grandmother of six. 

Jason Householder, The Perch supervisor, has worked closely with Brown for five years. He has developed relationships with students alongside Brown and has seen her positivity extend to everyone.

“There’s a lot of students that we know. Between [Brown] and I, [we know] probably around 250 students by name,” Householder said. “We share that information back and forth. She’s like a mother to everybody.”

Brown explained that, to her, “faces are easier to remember than names.” Brown said she does what she can to connect with students, such as coming up with a nickname if there is a student with a long or “hard name” to remember.

“I make sure it’s OK if both of us come up with a nickname just to help me remember who you are,” Brown said. “I see a lot of students, and I’d be chasing, ‘Hey, what’s your name again?’ Even Jason sometimes can remind me, and sometimes I remind him.”

Emma Coleman, a junior urban studies major, met Brown in January 2024 during the spring semester of her first year. Coleman had dropped her ID in the dining hall and Brown walked around calling out her name to return it. The two have developed a friendly, consistent relationship from that point forward.

Coleman, among others, praised Brown on her ability to remember names and details of former and current students, even with the hundreds of people who come through each day. 

“I’m a last-minute packer, and every time there’s a break, I’ll always talk to her, and she’ll be like, ‘did you pack yet?’” Coleman said. “Just in a joking way — not in a mean way, but like, ‘I know you.’”

Coleman said Brown is the “perfect person to be at the front” of The Perch.

“She’s given me advice with school. I’ve definitely expressed being stressed about a test, and she’s been like, ‘You got it, don’t worry about it too much.’” Coleman said. “I came into [The Perch] before a job interview, and she was very encouraging with it as well. She’s just very sweet.”

Over the years, Brown has developed an at-home recipe to help students when they are sick or not feeling well. Cian O’Boyle, a first-year finance and accounting major, recounted a time in the fall semester when he was sick and told Brown about it.

“Immediately, she went to the back of the kitchen, she grabbed a lemon, she started cutting it up, she made me tea,” O’Boyle said. “[She] put honey drizzle on [the lemon] and then told me to eat it.”

O’Boyle visits The Perch at least once a day and has found it very easy to connect with Brown.

“Lashelle was just someone who I clicked with and someone who just seemed so personable and just so enjoyable to be around,” O’Boyle said. “She just always puts a smile on your face.” 

Ethan Schriver, a first-year exercise science major, met Brown by visiting The Perch multiple times a day with his friends — including O’Boyle.

“She’s always had an energetic personality,” Schriver said. “She’s just a very kind soul and someone that can make my day better.”

Brown said her approach to her job is to always be welcoming to students and patrons, even if they are not in the most upbeat mood.

“You still may not be ready at this time to say hello or good morning,” Brown said. “You may have something big on your mind, or you may not want to talk about it [until] later down the line. But I’ll still keep being who I am for you to hope you open up to say, ‘Hey, I just need to talk.’” 

One of those students was Lauren Gardiner, who graduated from Pitt in May 2025 and is now an administrative assistant at the Beaver County Courthouse. Originally from California, Gardiner was a shy first-year living in Sutherland Hall when she met Brown. 

“Lashelle saw me within that first week that I started there and just asked me what my name was,” she said. “And then from then on, she would always just greet me at the very beginning of the day and I would see her a couple times throughout the day, if I stopped in the afternoon, and [she] would just always ask me how I’m doing with school.”

Gardiner attributes who she is “career-wise” and “as a person” to her friendships with Brown and Householder. Gardiner entered Pitt with plans of going into the medical field, but ultimately realized it was not for her. The staff was there to help Gardiner realize her true passion with law and become confident in changing her plans.

“Jason and ’Shelle were one of the biggest parts of me making that decision to let that old dream go,” Gardiner said. “Without the two of them, I would have never fully realized and accepted that I am beyond capable to achieve anything I put my mind to.”

Gardiner worked in the dining hall with Brown as a cashier from January 2022 to April 2024. She says working at The Perch became a “joyful part” of her day.

“Working with such a great company, it was really just a way to decompress throughout the day. Lashelle, in particular — she’s so funny and just has a genuine heart, so it felt like I was working with a friend and not so much like, ‘I have to be here,’” Gardiner said.

Though it’s harder to see Brown and Householder after graduation, Gardiner said she still makes the effort to come back.

“[Someone else who works there] actually joked about thinking that I was still a student there because of how much I go to visit them,” Gardiner said. “It’s really important for me to go see them and just let them know how I’m doing and see how they are right now.”

Part of Brown’s caring mentality is knowing what it has been like for her own children to go to school, like when her eldest daughter attended PennWest Edinboro University.

“You’re supposed to be treated the way your mom and dad would treat you at home,” Brown said. “When they send you off from school, they want to make sure you’re safe, you’re healthy, you’re eating. And I got to understand what parents feel like when they send their child to school.”

The majority of Brown’s kids are currently working at Pitt after seeing how much their mom enjoys her job. Her daughter, Dinasia Brown, has worked in dormitory cleaning with Pitt Housing Services for about two years, and her oldest son, Rashan Brown, has worked at Pitt Eats and The Perch for almost six years. Her second-eldest son, Dashaun Hodge, works with her at The Perch. He has been here for almost two years and goes to Brown for any and every question, he explains.

“If I need help with something, I know to go to my mom,” Hodge said. “She’s worked every station there, so if I need help with any station, I just ask my mom, and she can tell me an easier way to get it done.”

Over the past couple years, Hodge has observed how her consistent caregiving extends to the students she interacts with. 

“She treats [students] like they’re family. Every student that knows her, loves her,” Hodge said. “She knew how to interact with them, talk to every student, help every student who needs help. If you’ve got a problem or if you are feeling down, she gives great advice.”

Above all, Brown said she wants her students to “feel OK” in The Perch because of how stressful university can be. 

“I want you to feel comfortable and that there’s always somebody there,” Brown said. “I know school could be a lot between classes, studying — and it could put a lot of weight on your shoulders.” 

When students are stressed with school, it can become harder to take a break from studying or even have an appetite. Brown encourages students to have a good, full meal when they do visit and not waste their meal swipes.

“Sometimes, I have kids that come up, and they’re rushing in the morning, so they’ll tap in, and they’ll go and just grab a croissant. I’ll be like, ‘Oh no, no, no — you gotta go get a piece of fruit, you can’t waste your swipe, then how are you gonna feel when you in class later?’” Brown said. “I have to make sure you have a good meal to start your day off so you have a clear mind throughout the day.” 

Brown said she “loves [her] job very much” and “take[s] pride” in what she does. She recalled a time when a student recognized her dedication and gave her an unofficial “mama bear” title. With Brown being the oldest in her family, she took care of her siblings when she was younger. As a mother for so long, she’s maintained her “mama bear” nature.

“I feel like I’m supposed to lead the path — to lead everybody and be there for everybody and help everybody,” Brown said. “I need to be here for you. I need to take care of you. I need to do this for you. And I need to fix whatever it is you need me to fix.”

Brown not only has a strong connection with her personal family and students — she has a family dynamic with her co-workers as well. 

“I feel like we’re just one big dysfunctional family,” Brown said. “We all love each other in their own little special way. I’ve been around them for so long. We have new people and we gotta show them the way.”

Devin Young, a senior strengthening and conditioning coach for softball and track and field at Pitt, met Brown after he was hired four years ago. Brown was the first person Young became close with at Pitt because he regularly attended The Perch for meals.

“She’s always been awesome at helping me out with stuff, making sure I know what’s here to eat, but also just helping me out [and] learning Pittsburgh when I first got here,” Young said. 

Young said Brown’s support made his transition to Pittsburgh easier, helping him navigate both the dining hall and the city.

“Always super friendly, super nice, [she’s] always been someone no matter if it’s cold, snowy, 100 degrees outside — she’s always here with a smiling face on and always just welcomes you with open arms,” Young said.

When describing Brown, Young picked a more uncommon description. 

“Majestic,” he said. “She just has an aura about her.”

Brown does all she can to embody her caretaking nature and make The Perch not just another dining hall.

“[The Perch is] a home away from home. I want to make sure everybody feels the love and everybody feels that somebody’s here for you,” Brown said.