Some know her as the undisputed queen of the Eagle’s Nest. Some say she should be president of the university. Others think of her as the woman who sells them Ben and Jerry’s ice cream with a smile to get them through a hard night, but to all, Sonya Owens is an important figure on campus.
Sonya started serving students at the Eagle’s Nest eight years ago. When asked what her favorite place on campus is, Sonya indicated her surroundings behind the counter at AU’s campus store.
“This is my favorite spot right here,” she said. “There’s no place like the Eagle’s Nest.”
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“And I never miss a day,” she said. “Because I always feel that if I ever had a replacement, I wouldn’t know how they would treat the students.”
Rebecca Oren, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, discovered just how comforting Sonya could be the day she entered the Eagle’s Nest upset about the death of a close family friend.
“I went into the Eagle’s Nest to get some food, and [Sonya] saw that I was crying,” Oren said in an e-mail. “Immediately, she called me over to the register and gave me a giant hug, and kept telling me that everything was going to be [OK]. It’s so nice to see a friendly, familiar face when I walk into the Eagle’s Nest. When I live off campus next semester, I’m really going to miss being able to stop in late at night.”
Students that stop by while Sonya is working are greeted with warmth.
“What’s going on?” Sonya said to some.
“Can I help you, sweetheart?” She said to another.
In the Eagle’s Nest, you can leave your pretensions at the door.
“When [students] come and they see me, they can always be themselves,” Sonya said.
Melissa Mahfouz, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said Sonya has “a very eccentric personality.”
“I love Sonya,” Mahfouz said. “We always end our conversations with a [fist] pound, which you can’t exactly do with the university president.”
“[The students] have become like my family,” she said. “There’s a lot of good memories that I have [from the Eagle’s Nest].”
In addition to her extended AU family, Sonya has five brothers and one sister. She was born to Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Owens in Winnsboro, S.C.
Sonya said she and her siblings are more than family — they are friends.
“Everyday we talk,” she said. “We go out on weekends, out to dinner on Fridays.”
Once a month, Sonya said the Owens clan gathers together for a mini-family reunion at her mother’s house.
“My mom is one of my biggest role models,” Sonya said. “She just keeps working and working to make sure we still have everything we need.”
When Sonya was two years old, the family moved to Northeast D.C., where she attended public school. Though you are unlikely to find her on a court or a softball diamond now, she played both softball and basketball in high school.
After graduation, Sonya and her best friend went on to the University of the District of Columbia. For two years, she studied political science there, a subject she still wishes to pursue in the future.
Sonya’s status as beloved personality on AU’s campus became official in March of 2007, when a group of her adoring fans videotaped their happy birthday salute to her and put it on YouTube.
Sonya also has a Facebook group honoring her title, “Sonia is the Queen of the Eagle’s Nest! Long Live Sonia!” Though the group misspelled Sonya’s name, the sentiment is still there, and the group has grown to over 138 members. And while the creators of the group, as well as some other Sonya supporters, have since graduated and left AU, Sonya says they have not disappeared.
“[Students who have graduated] drop by sometimes when they’re in the neighborhood to see if I’m still here,” Sonya said. “They made an impact on me, and I made an impact on them. I just hope they won’t forget me, because I won’t forget them.”
When asked what advice she would give to students, Sonya did not hesitate to think over her response.
“Stay in school,” she said. “And continue their education.”
Whether she is dancing to the Jay-Z blasted from their portable iPod speakers or wishing a great day to even the rudest of customers, Sonya is all about her students. She had this last message to share with the university:
“Tell [AU] Sonya loves her students and she hopes they love her back.”
You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline.com.
