Violet Idehen is a secretary at the Office of Public Safety, where she is responsible for all administrative duties in an office of seven located on the first floor of Whittier Hall.

 

Idehen was born and raised in Nigeria. After immigrating to the United States, she attended the New York Institute of Dietetics, earning a diploma in catering and hotel and hospitality management. She then joined TC’s Office of Residential Services in 1988, working the front desk at the at Whittier and Bancroft residence halls until 2002, when she joined the Office of Public Safety.

 

Her most memorable experience at TC involves the seven years she spent working at TC’s Identification Center, where, as the person in charge of issuing identification cards, she got to meet just about every new employee and contractor. “I loved it,” Idehen says. “During that process, I was in close contact with a lot of people, welcoming them to TC as they visited the office for their ID cards. It was a wonderful experience.”

 

“I meditate a lot and listen to various types of music, especially gospel, African and Christian music. I also love to read inspirational books, and I collect inspirational clippings because we have to appreciate what we have. That doesn’t mean everything is always perfect, but we have to stay positive even during the challenging times. So I started putting a folder together with all the inspirational sayings that I came across from books and other materials. The folder is now full of the sayings. I think inspirational words register powerfully deep within us.”

Did You Know Idehen is an avid Ogiurise player, a traditional Nigerian wooden board game played by two to four players. She often plays it with her children and her husband. “I love to play it. It’s so relaxing; it’s interesting and fun. In Nigeria, it’s very popular. There should be one here at TC in a central place so everyone can play it. It’s not home, but it helps me remember my days back home in Nigeria.”