CofC Faces to Know: Sonya Allen

^{Photo by Catie Cleveland}

Name: Sonya Allen ’92

Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina

Education/Background: B.A. in French from the College of Charleston; MBA from The Citadel

Job title: Parking Manager

How long have you worked at the College? 17 years

What are your job responsibilities? All things parking and transportation related!

What do you like most about your job? No two days are ever the same, and it is never boring!

What question do you get asked most in your job and what’s your typical answer? “Does my student really need a car in Charleston?” Definitely not! We are a very walkable city, and CARTA can take you just about anywhere you’d want to go!

What’s your favorite location on campus and why? I’d have to say it’s Sottile House, because I can’t walk past it without pausing to appreciate its beauty.

What are your hobbies? Watching sports, especially baseball; herping (looking for reptiles and amphibians); and working in my yard.

What personal and/or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? Working as a pet therapy team with my Great Pyrenees, Stormy, and my chihuahua, Lil Bit, and seeing the pure joy on people’s faces just from interacting with a dog.

Name a creative work (book, movie, performance, etc.) you enjoyed recently. My mom and I went to see the musical Come From Away, and it was fantastic!

What was your favorite TV show growing up? Happy Days

What’s next on your bucket list? I would love to go herping through Australia, but I would settle for herping the Everglades.

What is something your campus colleagues would be surprised to know about you? I have a pet snake! He is a western (plains) hognose snake named Legolas, and he has the cutest personality.

What was your first job? Wrapping Christmas gifts at Kerrison’s in South Windermere.

What’s your favorite Lowcountry restaurant? Halls Chophouse or Angel Oak

Describe your perfect day. Taking my family to see the Cleveland Guardians play at Progressive Field (and the Guards win, of course)!

To nominate a faculty or staff member to be featured in the “CofC Faces to Know” series, please send the person’s name and email address to facstaffnews@cofc.edu. Please include “CofC Faces to Know” in the email subject line.