“I’m part Creole and Mexican,” new Main Office Administrative Assistant Tiffany Adams said as she heated up Cajun spaghetti in the microwave in the teacher lounge. “So I grew up on Cajun food and spicy stuff.” Upon being asked what makes the delicious concoction so spicy, Adams laughs. “I can’t tell you that! My grandma would turn over in her grave.”

Although a new addition to the office, for the past year Adams and her infectious laugh have been afixture among the hallways as a security guard. After accepting the position as Administrative Assistant, Adams has enjoyed connecting with students more, besides having the freedom to utilize her wardrobe. “I like being able to wear my own clothes now,” she said. “I also like getting a chance to know the staff better by interacting with them more.”

Patience, which Adams learned in the Air Force, comes handy in her day-to-day life. “You have to havealot of patience,” she said of the job. “You’re going to have good days and bad days, but you can’t let it affect work.” A local, Adams graduated from Burton High School. She then attended City College and the Air Force, where she served as a Security Force, or a military police officer. She is now taking classes at San Francisco State University. Although her degree is currently undecided, she knows she wants to pursue one centered around peer counseling.

Adams expressed her hope to have a career in youth outreach as a counselor, advisor, teacher or juvenile probation officer. Inspired by Lowell students, she recently changed her nursing major at San Francisco State University to counseling to follow her goal. “I love helping youth, whether troubled or privileged — from a whole spectrum,” she said. “A lot of youth don’t have a voice when it comes to adults, as far as their opinions, judgments, likes and dislikes. A lot of adults ignore youth when it comes to their point of view. I love being someone they can talk to, knowing they won’t be judged.”

The sponsor of the Black Student Union and Senior Letter, and having previously sponsored the Girls’ Song Team, Adams understands the necessity of extracurricular activities and wishes that all clubs had greater representation in school goings-on. “It’s important to make sure each club and activity has a voice and is respected well,” Adams said. “A lot of them go unnoticed. Equal emphasis on every club and activity would be better for the school.” Adams’ appreciation and concern about school’s extracurriculars is a pleasant reminder of the joys of balancing academics with fun. “Students get to be themselves without a classroom structure or homework,” she said.

Adams appreciates the open environment of Lowell. “My favorite thing about Lowell is the diversity and freedom students have,” she said. “It’s not as restricting, and parents and teachers are involved with students. Mr. Ishibashi is awesome. He goes out of his way to make sure that every student and staff member is happy.”

Outside her job, Adams spends time with her 9-year-old daughter, Laila, who is the proud creator of the painted stone on Adams’ desk reading “I love you, Mommy.” On the weekends, the two play video games together, paint nails and get outside for adventures.

To pass on the family recipes which were given to her by her grandmother, including shrimp creole, beignets and gumbo. Adams is assembling a cookbook

for her daughter. “I started creating recipe book for her when she gets older,” she said. “My grandma said I wasn’t old enough to learn how to make something when I was 20!”

Adorned with a beautiful star tattoo on her neck that she chose with her two sisters to signify their connection, Adams is living proof that art is a connecting force. “I love all music and dance. I like arts, period,” Adams said. “No matter where you come from, background or culture, arts are the one thing everyone has in common.”

With her friendly exterior and ability to get along well with students and staff, Adams is no ordinary secretary. “I’m very playful,” Adams said. “I’m very goofy, and since I’ve been here I’ve been told I’m always bubbly and happy.” Find her in the main office behind the front desk — but don’t expect her to give you that recipe for her soon-to-be-famous Cajun spaghetti.

A version of this article first appeared in Nov. 4, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.

Illustration by Vivian Tong.