Sonja Jackson always seems to be smiling.

Whether she is sick in bed, or at Atlanta Financial Center in the security control room, her enthusiasm for life is contagious.

"Everyone always tells me I smile a lot. But smiling warms people's hearts," she said. "I just feel like the people I see throughout the day, I never really know what they are going through. I smile because you never know how it will affect someone, or turn their day into a better day."

The mother of two began her mission of spreading smiles at Atlanta Financial Center in 2004, following a lay off from another firm. Feeling down, she decided to start smiling, and she hasn't stopped since.

At home Sonja puts her security officer outfit aside and steps into her kitchen. Her family calls her Martha Stewart III because of her outlandish baking abilities and scrapbooking skills. "If I go somewhere, and say I have a muffin, I'll just go home and try to recreate it," she said. "I also love knitting."

Sonja is also known for her die-hard work ethic. She has never called in to work late. If she is needed on weekends, she stops what she is doing, and comes in to Atlanta Financial Center to monitor the grounds. "I love it here," she says of her morning shift supervisor role. "I mainly sit in the control room, manning the cameras, keeping tabs on who is coming in and out of the building."

But the Henry County native says that what matters most in her life is her faith in God. "If you put Him first no matter what you do, and just keep moving on, everything falls into place."

 

Back to eNewsletter >>