High school can be stressful enough after a long day at school, clubs, and sports. However, some Academy seniors have gone the extra mile and have decided to tackle a part time job on top of all of that. Although it may seem like it would be too hard to handle all of the responsibility to keep up with getting good grades, having leadership positions in clubs, making time for friends and family, and still going to work a few days a week, many girls have proved that you can.

Many people might ask, why work? Well, the answer is actually a variety of reasons. A lot of teens work part time so that they can buy clothes that they want, or so they can go out on weekends and do fun activities. Others may be saving up for college. While others may even just have to pay for their own gas.

Senior, Grayson Garraty recently landed a job at Abercrombie Kids at International Mall.

“I wanted to get a job for the experience before college. My favorite part about the job is the discounts I get on clothes, but my least favorite part is working long hours when all my friends are out together.”

Senior Jayne McLaughlin has been working at Tijuana Flats now for a while.

“I started working so that I could have some spending and gas money. My favorite part about working at Tijuana is that I get 50% off and cookie dough flautas for days!!!!! My least favorite part would have to be the mean people who yell at me and dont realize that it’s a fast casual Tex Mex restaurant not Berns.”

Senior Maddie Matesich is basically a full time babysitter when not at school.

“I started babysitting because I needed extra money and I love working with kids so it was a great fit for me. My favorite part about the job is getting to hangout with the kids, and I usually get free food. My least favorite part is getting the kids to go to sleep or if the parents ever stay out way later then they said they were going to.”

Senior Camille Yodzis decided to become a lifeguard this year.

“Not going to lie, I decided to get a job for the money, and the experience too! My favorite part about working is sitting in the sun and all of my co-workers. My least favorite part though would be cleaning equipment.”

Here are some funny stories that girls decided to share about their work experience:

Grayson: “Once I was talking to this lady at work and helping her pick stuff out. She seemed like she understood everything I was saying until I asked her how her day was going. Then all of a sudden every time I said something she would just respond I don’t know. The whole situation was very bizarre.

Jayne: “One time I was walking out of the kitchen with two trays of food in my hand and it was SUPER busy and I slipped and landed on my butt and food went EVERYWHERE! Also my voice cracks constantly when I yell out people’s names and it’s pretty embarrassing.

Maddie: “One time, the kids were grounded from playing video games, so I didn’t let them play. We played hide and seek instead and the younger one asked me to hide in the closet with him because he was ‘scared of the dark.’ I went in first, and they locked me in there to go play video games. They did let me out after one game though.”

Camille: “It was my third day at work and I was walking along the edge of the pool and I slipped and fell into the water and everyone ran over to ask if I was ok. I was just like haha yeah, it looked like someone was drowning.”

These are just a few of the many seniors at Academy who work.

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Overall, all the girls stated how even though there are some negatives about having a job in high school, they wouldn’t change it and do love their jobs. It can be a very rewarding experience earning your own money, and they are the proof of that.