HAWLEY — Abigail Drew, the town’s new administrative assistant, is in the midst of her three-week training with veteran assistant Cass Nawrocki before the reins are completely passed to her.
Drew, originally from Indiana, is living in Charlemont and studying entrepreneurship at Greenfield Community College. A work-study student, the position in Hawley will be her second job to help her reach her dream of running a bakery loan-free.
Upon job searching, Drew found the position in Hawley and knew she would be able to use her experience doing office assistant-type work to rise to the occasion. After a three-step interview process, Drew was appointed by the Selectboard to replace Nawrocki, who is retiring. Drew said she hopes the job will give her professional experience while aligning with tasks that she enjoys.
Her ultimate goal, called Butterfly Bakery, is a business idea she has been developing for a while, as she’s been at GCC. Her immediate goal, however, is to be in a position where she can interact with and help others.
“I’m definitely a people person,” Drew said of her excitement to get to know Hawley residents and her desire to work in a role that ties the town together. “I think this job is a good fit because I can learn but (also) help people in the community.”
Drew believes her growth during her time at GCC, from her childhood shyness to her now outgoing nature, is present in her ability to take on roles like the one in Hawley.
As much as she believes she can help the town, the job will also help her, she said.
“It gives me a lot of administrative experience and will give me the skills to run a bakery in the future,” Drew said.
Being able to see the background happenings of town politics has also been something Drew has enjoyed about being on the job thus far.
“Small towns and learning about politics has always been interesting to me,” she said.
Residents can introduce themselves to Drew during a meet and greet event on Tuesday at the Town Office from 6 to 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Drew’s training has been going well, Nawrocki said, and she is confident in Drew’s abilities. Three weeks, however, is quite the crash course considering there is a lot to pass on. Nawrocki has been there since April 2016, and due to the nature of the job — although it’s part-time — it is difficult to characterize what Drew might come across once Nawrocki is no longer there.
“It’s a hard thing to pass along because it’s such a varied job, because you deal with almost anything that can come up. So it makes it tremendously interesting. It’s never boring,” Nawrocki explained. “I’ve done a lot of different things over my career, and I have to say that this was the most interesting and most positive experience I’ve had.”
Nawrocki recalls meeting many incredible people in town, as well as its other residents. For example, she fondly remembers chickens walking in the door when she first started working in Hawley, as well as the neighbor’s miniature horses making their way in from time to time.
“There’s a quaint charm about it,” she reflected. “I’m going to miss it.”