If you go into Au Bon Pain, chances are you've seen the man with all of the buttons on his apron. His name is Terrence Bradley.
Bradley started working in Au Bon Pain in November of 2013 and has quickly become popular on campus.
"He's pretty friendly and helpful, and he jokes around," said Jordan Molineux, sophomore in creative writing. "He asks how you're doing, and he's always smiling. He's one of my favorite staff to run into."
Bradley knows the power of small moments during someone's day.
"The little things have a huge potential to impact someone's life and someone's day," Bradley said.
However, Bradley also acknowledges he has not always been like this. He began to study and practice Buddhism around five years ago which helped to lead him to a place of positivity.
"It's our prime purpose in life to help and serve one another," Bradley said. "If you can't help and serve, then choose to not hurt anyone."
Bradley used Buddhist concepts to explain this cycle.
"So as long as you don't do negative or as long as you don't do bad, you don't have to worry about [bad] karma rearing its ugly little head," Bradley said. "As long as you keep doing good, good is going to keep presenting itself in your life."
He said he believes that all righteous paths are correct.
"If you tell me that your way is the only way to the mountain top, that's pure hypocrisy," Bradley said. "All righteous roads are an expression of one righteous destination. So, if there's more than one path, find yours."
Bradley had a winding path before he landed in Auburn. A New Orleans native, he was once was he calls a "road warrior," living out of his car while managing Cold Stone Creamery stores in New Orleans, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando, Florida. This is how he found his way to Auburn, originally working with the Cold Stone Creamery once located in downtown Auburn.
He also was here with a girlfriend, planning to settle down and perhaps start a family. However, things did not work out.
"That was a struggle the first year, but it's definitely gotten a lot easier," Bradley said. "My family is huge now."
He refers to the friends he has made as sisters and brothers. He can remember them all, talking about his sisters by name.
"I call all my sisters my hearts, because you all have a special place in my heart for a reason or another," Bradley said. "Like Meredith, she's my very first heart. She comes in, not to buy anything, [and says,] 'Hey Mr. Terrence! How are you doing?' She'll do that three or four times a day, just walking by, and I love her to pieces."
He said he feels a connection to everyone.
"We all have a connection with one another, from the very beginning to the end," Bradley said.
This connection is how he started his iconic button collection. It started when he worked at the Chik-Fil-A in the Student Center during a football game.
"It started with a seven-year-old," Bradley said. "She came up to the register, and I said, 'I really like that button. Can I have it?'"
While the 7-year-old originally said no to giving away her sister's pin, by halftime, Bradley and the girl had traded the Alpha Delta Pi button for his name tag.
As girls saw his button, they would express surprise when they saw he wasn't wearing one of their own. He never turned down a button, however, and his collection grew along with the connections he made.
The connection he feels for everyone, faculty and staff alike, is felt by both groups.
"He was constantly cheerleading and always upbeat," said Ellen Dowdell, Auburn alumna. "I was working almost nonstop the whole final month of classes, and he'd encourage me whenever I went in for meals or snacks, to take a break or enjoy myself. He seemed like a manager who cared about the people in his line very actively and personally, and it was really cool to be someone he knew."
Bradley said the most rewarding part of living on campus was working for the students.
"Why do I show up every day?" Bradley said. "[It's] for you guys, for the students. If I make someone's day or I help someone out, that's why I show up."
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