Being a cashier at the C-Store in Indiana University Bloomington's McNutt Quadrangle can be stressful. But Residential Programs and Services Dining employee Oscar Arreaza has a simple strategy for keeping his cool: He has fun. "I have seen many cashiers over the years stressing themselves out," Arreaza said. "What I do to avoid stressing is I always have a good time."

View print quality image Oscar Arreaza. Photo by Eric Rudd, IU Communications

Since he began his job at McNutt in 2010, Arreaza has made it a priority to have enjoyable and entertaining interactions with students. He asks students about themselves, he remembers details like who they're dating or when their next exam is, and he's always prepared to tell a joke or two. The students who frequent the McNutt C-Store have taken an interest in Arreaza as well. When the IU men's basketball team was playing University of Maryland, Arreaza's alma mater, they gathered at his cashier stand to playfully heckle him. He said that occasionally he'll have a long line at his register while the other registers have no line, because the students are eager to say hello to him. The bond between Arreaza and the students he interacts with was evidenced this week when he shared with Pi Beta Phi sorority members Becca Richter and Olivia Diddlebock that his 38-year-old daughter Mariana, who lives in Venezuela, is suffering from internal bleeding and needs surgery. On Wednesday during his noon lunch break, Arreaza got emotional chatting with Richter and Diddlebock about his daughter's condition. By the time his shift was over at 4 p.m., students had banded together to raise more than $6,000 for Mariana. "A few girls came to me at the end of my shift and said 'Let's go. We have a surprise for you,'" Arreaza said. "We took the elevator to the second floor, and when the doors opened a crowd of students were cheering and screaming, 'We love you, Oscar.' I felt like a movie star."

May 4 is my birthday, and these kids have surprised me with the best gift I could ask for. Oscar Arreaza