Volunteer Profile
TITLE:Movie Stars and Sports Celebrities are Old News for Auburn Volunteer
DATE: August 4, 1996
PAPER:The Auburn-Opelika News
SYNOPSIS:Auburn University sophomore shares her experience of working at the Olympic Village
thomson network; 08/03/96; rbm; for: OPELIKA
ENOUGH STARGAZING FOR THIS VOLUNTEER
By SAEED AHMED
Thomson Newspapers Olympic Bureau
ATLANTA -- Not too many people would pass up on a chance to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger in person.
Then again, not too many people have jobs like Rachel Culberson's.
The 19-year-old Auburn, Ala., native said she's had her fill of stargazing at her job at the Olympic Village. She's lunched with Tony Kukoc, shook hands with the King of Spain and met Alexi Lalas.
``The days are so long and tiring, it's hard to make it to everything that goes on at night after that," said Culberson, explaining her reason for skipping Friday's star-studded premiere of the movie "Eraser" at the Village.
``After some time, the novelty wears off and you just want to go home and sleep after a hard day's work."
Culberson, a sophomore at Auburn University, works as a Crew Chief for Housekeeping at the Olympic Village. Her nine-hour days entail supervising a group responsible for tidying up athletes' rooms, supplying toiletries and taking care of other household needs.
``The experience has been mixed," Culberson said. ``The downside has been dealing with messy athletes coming to you at 4 in the afternoon and whining `when are you gonna clean my room,' like you're their mom."
The job isn't without its rewards however, Culberson admits.
``Aside from all the celebrity appearances, I get to meet some of the nicest people from all over the world everyday," she said. ``I get all kinds of stuff, like T-shirts, and I've collected over 25 pins from different countries just from the athletes."
Culberson said she's also been to some Olympic events, and was one of the lucky few invited to the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony.
``It was great," she said, of the experience. ``Believe me, TV didn't do it justice."
While the Summer Games end today, Culberson responsibilities will keep her in Atlanta until August 15, until all the athletes have gone home.
``I'll be happy when it's over because I get a break before school starts," Culberson said.
``But when the Games are in Sydney, I'll be there too volunteering in some fashion."
``This is an experience that everyone should have at some time or another," added the International Studies major. ``It's particularly enriching for me because now I've learnt a lot of skills on how to deal with people from different cultures, which will definitely be a plus for my future career."
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