Running a cafe is a tremendous responsibility, but running a cafe on a college campus? That raises the stakes. They provide the workspaces, communal hubs and precious caffeine that have kept students and faculty afloat for generations. That is why we salute Ziv Shadur, senior psychology major and Student CEO of the Saxbys on Liacouras Walk.
The Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform puts a Student CEO in the driver’s seat of a Saxbys campus location for a semester. They run the business down to every detail and walk away with invaluable leadership experience, the satisfaction of knowing they fueled their peers through finals and some academic credit to boot. We spoke to Ziv, the first Student CEO from the College of Liberal Arts, about balancing the cafe with her coursework, the support she’s received from Saxbys and her plans after graduating this December.
What's your background as a student—where are you from, what brought you to Temple and how did you choose your major?
I’m from Ambler, about 30 minutes from the main campus. I always knew I wanted to stay somewhat close to home, but not so close that I’d run into my parents every day. I also wanted to be near the city, but not right in the middle of it. Temple fit all of that criteria perfectly.
I’ve always wanted to work in a career that helps people, so psychology and pursuing something in counseling or therapy were no-brainers for me.
How did you find out about the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform? What led you to apply to run the cafe as Student CEO?
Honestly, I didn’t know about the Student CEO opportunity when I applied to Saxbys. I wasn’t aware of any of the opportunities that Saxbys offered; I was just looking for an on-campus job. But there are a lot of learning opportunities, like the Student VP (Student Vice President) roles. I was the Student VP of Campus Recruiting before the Student CEO position, so I was doing all of the hiring for three different cafes in the area.
What really interested me in the Student CEO position was watching Sarah (Zamichieli, FOX ‘24). She was the Student CEO in the Spring of 2024, and everyone loved the way she ran the cafe. She made it feel like a family and a second home to us, and I wanted to continue that. She’s my Area Operations Manager now. She works directly with me, and I can reach out to her when I need, so it’s all come full circle.
What was the training process like?
My official start date was in July, but the training process began in March. First, you shadow the current Student CEO, joining them on their admin tasks, asking questions and just trying to get a taste of what your day will be like. Over the summer, I went through a Canvas course, walking me through bank runs, inventory, ordering and things like that. Then I had two or three days of in-person training with the Saxbys HQ team, getting practice with inventory counts, building a schedule and dealing with hard conversations that might occur during the term.
What do your days look like as the Student CEO?
I’m scheduled for 30 hours a week, but right now, at the start of the semester, it’s closer to 40. I graduate this December, and I actually planned ahead for this by taking three summer courses. That, plus the credits from my Student CEO role, let me finish early. This semester, I only have three classes, all online. One of them is yoga, which I’m hoping will help me manage my stress!
It can be a lot, but there’s a great support system in place. There’s a developmental team and all of Saxbys HQ that I have access to. And then there’s Ava (Dracup, FOX ‘27), the Student CEO of the Saxbys in the Fox School of Business. We have each other’s backs. I’m about to send her over some cold cuplids, and when I ran out of chai a few days ago, she covered me. I’m very happy that we can work as a team together.
As a psychology major, what connections do you see between this role and your field?
On the surface, there might not seem like much to this role that would interest a psychology student. But looking a little deeper, I feel I’m learning so much that will help me in my career. I’m learning how to communicate with people, how to run and manage a team, and how to advocate for the team in the cafe. I’ll have to communicate with my patients the way I do with these guests, and I’ll have to advocate for my patients like I advocate for my team. These are skills I can take anywhere, and I’m grateful for that.
What’s next for you after graduation?
My plan is to go to nursing school and become a psych nurse. I’ll take a semester off after December—most programs start around May or August—and then start applying. It’s still the same goal of helping people and treating the same community I always envisioned, but from a different, more medical angle.