Abilene ISD -

Vanessa Ezagui is in her fifth year at Dyess Elementary School and her third year as the campus Student Nutrition Manager. But many students don’t know her as Mrs. Vanessa or Mrs. Ezagui. Instead, many call her “Auntie Nessa,” and they won’t leave the line for breakfast or lunch without getting a hug and a daily word of affirmation from the mother of two and grandmother of a one-year-old.

“When I came to Dyess, it was just supposed to be a job,” Ezagui said. “But I fell in love with Dyess. I love this community.”

Perhaps it’s because it’s the community she grew up in. The child of a father who made a career out of the United States Army and a husband who served in the U.S. Air Force, Ezagui sees some of herself and her children in the eyes and faces of the students she and her team serve daily.

“Dyess isn’t the only school in the district that has military students, but the largest concentration of them are here,” Ezagui said, “so I see them as my babies. I see myself and my kids in them because they’re living the life I and my kids lived. I have a great relationship with the administration team, the teachers, the students, and my staff. We’re all a family.”

The joy Ezagui shares with her students is the same joy and passion she has for cooking. She learned how to cook from her grandmother and mother but didn’t put the skills back into use until she married her husband of 27 years. When she and her family moved to Abilene as part of her husband’s transfer to Dyess Air Force Base, she got a culinary degree from Texas State Technical College.

“I grew up in the kitchen, and all my jobs were in the kitchen,” she said. “Cooking is something I’ve always been passionate about. I’ve always believed that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. After many years, I realized I love cooking and baking.”

She took that love into the kitchens at McMurry and Nothing Bundt Cakes before joining AISD’s Student Nutrition staff and working at Purcell and Dyess elementary schools. Her service attitude made Ezagui stand out, earning her the role of Student Nutrition manager at Dyess.

“Vanessa loves her job and the students she serves,” AISD Student Nutrition Director Kandace Grenwelge said. “She has a servant's heart and is proactive in looking for new ways to serve, prepare, and display our product for the students. 

“She goes above and beyond, even placing smiling faces on their sack lunches when they go on a field trip,” she said. “Vanessa understands our military families and works to make each student feel welcome so they know we are glad to have them at Dyess.”