Day in the Life: Ms. Yates

Introducing our new series named, Day in the Life, where we highlight individuals who make the World Trade Center campus the world-class destination that it is. The first feature of the series is Raceme Yates, more commonly known to those on campus as Ms. Yates. 

If you’ve walked around the World Trade Center campus during the past 13 years, you’ve probably encountered Ms. Yates of Inter-Con Security. She upholds the highest security standards for the campus and greets everyone with a smile – unless you are not following the rules, in which case you will get a stern talking-to. Besides surprising tourists with her friendly, upbeat New York energy, which defies the stereotype of unfriendly New Yorkers, she is a campus expert with deep knowledge of its history having worked here since its redevelopment. She led us around the WTC campus to show us a typical day in her life on the job. 

Name: Raceme Yates

Title: Lead Tour Supervisor Rover

Years of employment at WTC: 13-14 years

Fun fact about you: My favorite movies are Marvel movies.

What’s a typical day like for you?

    Ms. Yates: First, I address my agents, make sure I do inspections on them from head to toe to ensure they're in proper uniform and that they understand their post duties and whatever's going on for the day – whether it is an event, a drill, a shutdown, or maybe we don't know. We have a lot going on in the world and that world is a prime word that describes where you're at because we are at the World Trade. What happens overseas can have an effect on us here, so we must be prepared at all times. That means the safety of the people, the passengers and the public again takes precedence here.

One time, a guy said to me, “I’m packing up my stuff, I’m smiling and I’m actually happy to be leaving.” I said, “you’re that way because I’ve also given you an alternative that you could always come back, but you have to do it in a structured manner.” Because again, we say we have passengers, the public, and the people, which always take precedence. Everybody has to be happy. Everybody has to be able to move. If you want to do a photo here or you want to do a certain type of project here, we need to be able to stanchion you off so that the public doesn't interfere with you, and you won't interfere with the public. And everybody's happy in this sandbox. It's a big sandbox here.

What is the most rewarding/favorite thing about your job?

    Ms. Yates: I love talking to the people – the passengers, the public, the people, that’s what makes World Trade. The most rewarding thing is coming to work. I don’t get to come to work. I don’t have to come to work. I get to come to work. There’s a difference there – I get to bring joy and be happy here. I get to see the people – that’s something you can’t put a price on. I would do this whether I was going to be paid for it or not, which they tell me is insane because I love what I do. You know when you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life. I’m living truth to that.

Can you share a meaningful story from your time working here?

    Ms. Yates: In the south corner of the campus, there is a tree. It used to be just a gate, and I used to have my lunch under this tree, one of the first three trees that were planted in the rebuilding. In that same space, there is a bridge that leads you into Brookfield Place. There’s a pillar that still holds that bridge up. I was posted there, and a man came to me and said, “this pillar saved my life and my children’s life when the towers came down.” He explained to me that when the towers came down, he had to run and stand behind that pillar for safety from the force of energy of the towers hitting the ground. It’s strange because I was also protected by that same pillar -- when it was raining, and I’m posted there, or when there’s no shade, we had to roll those gates and make sure the work was still being done. That pillar meant something to him, and it meant something to me. We had that in common there.

Where is your favorite place on campus?

    Ms. Yates: My favorite spot is the Centennial time capsule on North Oculus Plaza. I was on duty during the ceremony and was excited just to be a part of it. They set it up, making sure that the time capsule would withstand the wind, the rain, the earthquakes, whatever Mother Nature gives us. In time, it’s still going to be here 100 years from now with all those names on it.

Watch our Instagram Reel featuring Ms. Yates as she brings us around the WTC campus and view a glimpse into a day of her life.  Follow us on Instagram for upcoming features in this series.