They Call Her the 'Unofficial Mayor' of the North End

North End Patch’s feature, "Meet Your Neighbors," is just that -- discovering more about fellow residents or people who work in the neighborhood and make this community a nice place to live.

Who?

Jessica Glassman of Hanover Street

What?

Barista, "town crier" and student

Her story:

Jessica Glassman's friends and co-workers say it takes forever to go anywhere with her in the North End because she stops to talk to all the people she knows.

And Jess, as she is called, agrees that she loves being the go-to person for any information about this neighborhood where she lives and works. 

"I have willingly become a large part of this community because I want to know everybody," she said. "People tell me you can't be friends with everyone but I disagree."

So, during her shifts working at the North End Waterfront Starbucks and walking around, Jess talks to folks she's already met and makes connections with those she is seeing for the first time.

Jersey to 'unofficial mayor'

Jess grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, where she lived before going to the Landmark School in Beverly when she was 16 and then to Suffolk University where she earned a degree in public relations this past summer.

During her first semester at Suffolk, Jess said the North End seemed like a dorm for students at her university.

The next year, she moved here to an apartment on Fleet Street.

"Once I moved in, I had a completely different attitude," Jess said. "I realized this is not just a place to live but a community I am proud to call home."

But for the longest time -- and even now -- people called her 'Jersey."

In the early years when she lived here, Jess said she had a very different look when she went out on weekends: high heels, glitter make-up and brightly colored nails.

"I guess I didn't have my 'Boston way' about me yet," she said. "And I was always talking about my home town in New Jersey."

Co-worker Vanessa Krejcir said people on Hanover Street still call Jess 'Jersey."

But it's all in good fun, Jess said.

"Jersey has become associated with so many zany things so I don't mind."

Transition from student to adult

At 23, Jess said her friends say she has the Peter Pan syndrome because she never wants to grow up.

"I loved college and miss the camaraderie of student life terribly," Jess said. "Now that I've moved from Fleet Street to Hanover Street, though, I live in a building with a lot of students so I'm happy there and call it Hanover Hall."

And carving out her professional life is coming along nicely.

After graduation, Jess realized the field of public relations would not be right for her.

"I took a step back to see what I have a passion for and know that I want to help people, especially kids," she said.

So she will be going back to school to study at the Everest Institute in Brighton and earn her certification as a medical assistant.

On October 22, Jess will begin her classes and then an internship at Children's Hospital in January.

She'll still work at Starbucks, where she has been employed since May 2011, but only on weekends and during the evenings.

Starbucks will miss their mayor

Vanessa said the other employees at Starbucks and the customers will certainly miss seeing Jess less often. 

"She knows where everything is in the North End, which are the best places to go and is very helpful to everybody," Vanessa said. "Whenever someone comes in with questions, we immediately turn them over to Jess."

For her part, Jess is grateful that she will still work and live in this part of Boston.

"The North End is the closest I can be to home," she said. "When I walk out my door, I know I'm living in a city but it reminds me of the town where I grew up and my family still lives because it has a real community feel."