Lorinda’s story

Kelly Petryszyn

Students pass by her every day. They hand their trays filled with dirty dishes and half eaten food to her at Kent Market 2 in the Kent Student Center. She smiles at them. Most walk away, some smile back and leave without a second thought about the woman behind the tray belt.

She is Lorinda Craver. She is a woman who wanted to go into child care, but couldn’t because she lives with epilepsy.

She is a woman who wants respect from her co-workers. She has to do an entire room so full of dishes- that there is only room to stand-by herself, when her co-workers don’t listen to her and jam the tray belt.

She is a woman who despite frustrations maintains a positive outlook on life.

She is a woman co-worker Brianna describes as “the coolest person to work for.” Brianna said Lorinda is like a sister to her and the main person that understands her.

She is a woman who has lived with Cerebral Palsy her whole life. She had leg surgery when she was 5 years old, but still walks with a limp.

“(I) won’t let it stop me,” she said.

She is a woman who moved all her stuff into her apartment riding only a bike.

She is a woman who when someone tells her she can’t do something she says to them, “Oh yeah, I’ll show you.”

She is a woman, who after 5 minutes with her, sends a smile across people’s faces. She radiates positive energy and even on a self-described bad day, laughs at herself, and smiles so wide her eyes scrunch up.

As Lorinda wipes tables off, she walks over to the tray belt with a slight limp, stands behind it and becomes once again the woman behind the tray belt.

Contact news correspondent Kelly Petryszyn at