Ms. Rose

Upon entering Wetherell Dining Hall, one is greeted by the warmth of many staff smiles, but among them is a special woman who has lifted us all up at some point. Rose Compagna does not simply keep your tuna fish separate from your egg salad or clean up your post-meal mess, but for nine years she has offered support and love to the Exeter community in her own, very unique way.

Many students know Compagna as a friend. She offers hugs, uplifting advice and at very least, a polite conversation. However, Compagna’s story extends beyond what you may have assumed. Her current job in food service follows years of traveling the world and at times, hardship.

Compagna was born in Germany under the name Rosalinda. When she was four she moved to Georgia, following her adopted father who had been in the German military at the time. They lived with her aunt and uncle in Georgia until her mother remarried when Compagna was seven, and they continued to travel the world with the military. Compagna lived in Georgia, Connecticut and Germany again before arrving in New Hampshire.

When asked what brought her to her job at Phillips Exeter, she said without hesitation, “the diversity.” She went on to explain how her childhood travels had exposed her to all walks of life, and that PEA was an oasis—a cultural mixing pot—compared to the entirely white population surrounding it. She could have the whole world in one spot.

“It’s great being in contact with our campus staff. They work really hard behind the scenes to make sure that our days run smoothly.”

Compagna described her childhood in Germany and how her grandmother harbored Jews in her basement during World War II.

“My mother and I would feed them. You know, if the Nazis ever found us, I would not being telling you this story,” she said. “Care is forever my passion, and that’s why I carry my gratitude with me in my work every day.”

This selflessness that Compagna is known to exhibit is equally recognized by the students whose lives she touches. Before our interview, I found Compagna by the juice station in the middle of long embrace with a student, consoling her. “My name tag should say “Mom” before it says “Food Service Worker,” because really that’s what I am first and foremost. My job is is to serve and care for people, and that’s what I’m doing, right?” Compagna said.

Upper Sarah Brown who has known Compagna for her three years at Exeter, said that “Ms. Compagna is always so nice to everyone she meets and makes my day brighter immediately. I have never met a person more positive, and everyone should get to know her.”

Senior Peace Kabari has known Compagna since her Experience Exeter revisit day when she introduced herself. Reiterating Brown’s praise of her loving nature, she says that “Rose always brightens my day.”

“Ever since I met her she has never failed to asked me how I was doing and how my day was. I can count on her being there every day with that big cheesy smile,” Kabari said.

She continued. “It’s great being in contact with our campus staff. They work really hard behind the scenes to make sure that our days run smoothly.”

Outside of her food service and “mom” obligations at Wetherell, Compagna enjoys reading, meditating through nature and keeping herself busy by working through 3,000 piece jigsaw puzzles. In addition to the children she has shepherded at Exeter, Compagna is also a biological mother of children whom she has already sent out into the world.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Compagna is her positivity. When I asked her what struggles come with the everyday responsibilities of her job, she immediately shook her head and explained, “I don’t look at the struggles.”

“I try to stay positive in every endeavor so that I can keep myself and all my children happy. Even if there are dark patches in my personal life, I make sure I leave them behind when I put on my apron every morning,” she said.

Moreover, she told about her secret technique in how she moves past things that weigh her down so easily: a trait admired by many.

“My father always told me that if you don’t like something in your life, it’s up to you to change it. And that’s what I practice every day,” she said.

Compagna has known the world in her life and the difficulties in adapting to its different places. For those students whose homes are far away, Compagna is a resource for comfort. As it was best said by Kabari, “She is what makes Wetherell feel like home to me.”