Hi! I’m Rovi Mae from Team EWM!

I wanted to apply as a barista at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® after watching Gen Diokno’s video about how this company was open and welcoming to deaf people. Training as a barista was hard for me, so I was reluctant to continue with my training at first. I was able to improve my performance as a barista thanks to the support and encouragement from my fellow trainees and Carl from P&O!

My favorite thing about being a barista is making coffee and tea for our guests! Even though the commute from Taytay Rizal to Eastwood takes a lot of patience, I always go to work early because I love to work hard in order to satisfy our guests and to make sure that they enjoy going to our store.

Out of all our FROTHe values, I value honesty the most when I do my work. I always ask and trust my team when there is something I need to know. I obey when they assign tasks for me to do. For example, I always make sure to check the food and drinks when I prepare them and I always scan the check if everything is all good or if there’s a lost item

My relationship with my team makes me feel happy and comfortable. We do our best to cooperate as a team and we are very affectionate to each other. Right now, my team can understand what I am saying when I talk to them with basic sign language. I want to teach my teammates more sign language so they can understand what I’m saying because this would help me communicate with them better.

My goal is to work hard and do my best until I get the chance to experience being a manager in the future, but I’ll be alright with still being a barista if I’m not able to. I want to encourage The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® to hire more deaf team members in more positions and to create a work culture that supports and motivates us to be our best.

The best thing about working in this company is that my team is wonderful and I can believe in them. I am very happy and thankful to my team for always helping me communicate better to our guests. They always teach me how to properly check and make sure that everything is clean and organized. I always remember to apply all their teachings. Even if they are transferred to other stores, they will always remain here in my heart.