Meet a Colleague: Nelson McGuffin Nelson McGuffin is a member of the dining services staff.

W&L News Office
May 21, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I’ve been working at W&L off and on for eight years.

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
Thing I like most about working here is the expansion of my perspective, constantly learning and growing thanks to the diverse community.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
My favorite location on campus is the Liberty Hall Ruins or the grassy wilderness beside it.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town called Houlton, Maine. It’s on Exit 1 on Interstate 95, right before you hit the border with Canada.

Q. What advice do you have for students?
Dance and sing like you can’t help it. People are judging regardless, so you might as well have fun!

Q. What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I did a solo road trip to Lexington, Kentucky to meet actress and singer Felicia Day. Some others might say wearing dresses in public.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
My favorite thing to do when I’m not at work is to pretend I’m in a music video and running around campus. That or cuticle care.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
My dream home would be in the vicinity of a mountain lake in the middle of Canada, where it’s warm enough to grow crops, but still cold enough that a zombie virus wouldn’t be carried by mosquitoes.

Q. Who most inspires you?
I have a mental image of myself that I use for inspiration. It’s me, behind a tavern bar, offering hospitality and nourishment to those in need, lost or otherwise considered outcasts. Like a beacon of hope, nullifying the negative and perpetuating the positive.

Q. What book are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “Swordspoint” by Ellen Kushner. It is a medieval story about swords for hire, with secret affairs and politics.

Q. What is your favorite film of all time?
My favorite movie is a toss up between “Wreck It Ralph” or “Sister Act.”

Q. Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?
I most identify with Florence Nightingale. She’s how I aspire to be as a person – a healer and a helper. Someone who will do everything in their power to be of assistance.

Q. If you could have coffee with one person, who would it be and why?
I don’t do coffee, but I would enjoy a good Seven Blossoms tea with (British and Australian actress) Miriam Margoyle. We’d also be eating radishes and onions raw.

Q. What is your desert island food?
My desert island food would have to be some form of root veggie, maybe a hardy rutabaga.

Q. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
Something about me most people don’t know is that I’m transgender and I’m also a recovering addict. Most people don’t know that either!

Q. What is your secret talent?
I am a secret comedian … I’m very good at witty retorts and one-liners.

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
This campus makes me feel so safe and loved and able to be true to myself. And in turn, I get to share that back and return the feelings, I hope. So, I guess just thank you to everyone who didn’t give up on me. And thank you to everyone on campus who makes this a sanctuary in this world.