I am Madeline (Maddie) Eppard and I am the new Open Table Coordinator! I am a senior biology major at Luther College, and I am currently working in a research lab at Mayo. I am originally from the cities, but Rochester has slowly become my new home, and Open Table and the people at Zumbro have played a big role in that 🙂 Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me with open arms. Here is a bit more about me, as I hope to get to know you all more! 

What was your first paying job?

My first paying job was as a nanny. I started nannying my younger cousins when I was 13, then moved on to help various other families until I went to college.  

What kind of music do you like?

I enjoy a variety of music. My favorite has to be music from the mid 2000’s that I grew up with, because I know all of the words and many of the songs have memories attached to them. I also love classic rock, because my dad would often play it when I was growing up, so it holds a special place in my heart.

What’s the best book you have read recently?

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I randomly picked it up off the bookshelf at our extended family’s cabin this past summer just for something to read out on the dock, and I ended up flying through nearly 500 pages over the course of a long weekend. While it is a cheesy young adult contemporary romance, it was in some ways the easy reading I had been looking for after a long semester of only reading textbooks and academic papers.  

What’s the best place you have traveled to?

The best place I have ever traveled to was China. In high school I took Chinese as an elective language and was lucky enough to travel to China on a class trip. I loved experiencing a culture that was completely different from my own and experiencing the vastly different cities and landscapes that China has to offer. The gardens throughout China were the most memorable because of how exceptionally beautiful and serene they were.

What is something you are proud of?

I am proud of the lessons I have taken away from the past 3 years. I have truly grown as a person through hardship, reflection, and new experiences during and after the pandemic. I have learned to become a better friend, family member, daughter, partner, and student by being more intentional in everything I do, appreciating the people and things around me, and not taking good things for granted. 

What are your hobbies?

My favorite hobby is collecting and caring for plants. I used to believe that I didn’t have a green thumb, because I could never keep a plant alive, but one day last winter— after a rough week full of exams— I decided to take a chance and buy a small plant to brighten up my dorm room.  After bringing it home and watching it grow I realized how much joy it brought me by simply existing. After that I slowly started to visit every greenhouse in the area looking for interesting and obscure house plants to add to my collection and my collection has just continued to grow and grow. My favorite plant is my string of pearls, because of its unique appearance.

Welcome to Zumbro, Maddie!