"Mama McDonald's": Restaurant assistant manager goes above and beyond for coworkers
LYNN - Andrea De La Rosa may be the assistant manager at McDonald's in Lynn on Boston Road, but she often goes by a different title.
"My nickname is the Mama McDonald's," said De La Rosa.
'Mama McDonald's' and it's easy to see why, as she proudly shows off photos from the high school graduation ceremonies she attended of the younger employees, including 18-year-old Emanuel Graham.
"She treats me as if I'm her child. She always checks on me. She makes sure I have everything that I need. She always calls to see if I needed something. And I really appreciate that because not having my parents, she's felt as if I have one right here," said Graham.
The 18-year-old lost both of his parents. When it came time for him to apply to colleges, Andrea was there every step of the way.
"When he came to me and said he wanted to do this I sat down with him on my lunch break. We filled out college applications. We did the essay together. He called me back and forth," said De La Rosa.
"She just made me look at the schools around and we just made a plan and that was it. I just followed through with it," said Graham.
That hard work paying off. This fall Emanuel is off to UMass Lowell to study business marketing, a surprise celebration at work on Thursday afternoon before he leaves.
"An exemplary employee dedicated and committed and going off to college and starting your next chapter we couldn't be more proud," said owner of the McDonald's store in Lynn, Lindsay Wallin.
Emanuel received gear and gift cards. Andrea was surprised with a $1,000 bonus before she leaves for an upcoming trip to see her own four children and two grandchildren.
Emanuel knows when he gets on campus Mama McDonald's will be checking in on him, as usual.
"Learning, meeting new people and starting the next step. Because I know that I have the support system that's going to tell me that I can be anything I want," said Graham.