Driving Safe for more than you

Aqib
Waheed

Munoz

AP
English Literature and Composition

Period
4

27 March 2020

Prompt
(Apply Texas): Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or
challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career
that have shaped who you are today?

College
word limit: 700 words

Word
Count:
697

Friday
Nights

“No,
I can’t, I have work today” was the usual response I had every
Friday during lunch when friends would try to make plans for the
weekend and almost every time they would respond with rolling eyes or
a sigh of disappointment. Those plans would range from going to the
football game to playing basketball on the driveway. When I started,
I never realized how much this job would cut into my free time until
the school year came around. Having a job required me to sacrifice
the short-term parts of high school life such as being with friends
outside of school. The opportunity and challenge of being employed
shaped me in the long-term by instilling a good work ethic, more
outgoing personality, financial responsibility, and a feeling of
independence in me.

Every
week I worked Friday and Saturday nights. The routine was the same
every Friday afternoon after school: walk home from the bus stop in
the hot unrelenting Texas sun, change into my uniform, then head off
to work. Working at Chick-fil-a, my job primarily consisted of taking
orders, making deserts, and refilling drinks. Although working may
sound like a dreadful repetition of duties, the experience was as
every bit as enjoyable as the service was for guests. The best part
about work was being there. The culture at work included honor,
dignity, and respect to each other while going the extra mile to
accommodate guests.

The
toughest part of the job was coming home around 11 at night and
checking the social media posts of friends seeing the fun they were
having at the football games or at a restaurant while I was stocking
sauces, cups, and lids. There were always those “what if”
thoughts when considering if I should quit work to spend time with my
friends. I knew the benefits of working while in high school would
come to fruition. By working outside of school without the motivation
of getting good grades, volunteer hours, and resisting the temptation
to quit to be with friends I was able to develop a work ethic. At
work I am given responsibility of certain duties with minimal
restrictions and by getting those tasks completed independently I am
less dependent as well as more confident in my communication and
problem-solving skills. As I displayed my reliability as a worker, I
used that to set my own standard of excellence. This shaped me into
being less of a procrastinator overall, especially when I needed to
do homework or study because I had first-hand experience of what was
necessary to be successful.

In school, I was naturally a quiet person and not a very outgoing
person. Working in the food industry, I was required to communicate
regularly with people whether they were customers or coworkers. I
introduced myself to new people and established connections, as a
result, I felt more self-confident and less insecure about what other
people thought of me. In class before I started working, I would
always sit in class waiting for someone to come up to me and ask,
“Hi, how are you doing?” to initiate the conversation. Now I can
confidently start conversations with people I don’t know.

An
immediate benefit of a job is the paycheck. Although I am a high
school student with minimal to no expenses, earning money showed me
the value of a dollar and the work that is needed to be successful.
Before, when I used my parents’ money, I would spend money lavishly
thinking there would be no consequences. Now having my own money, I
am more cautious and stricter of how and where I spent my money.
Along with earning money, I learned how to file my own taxes and use
a bank account, strengthening my ability to budget and avoid debt.

Gaining
this professional experience as an adolescence has opened countless
doors to opportunities that I otherwise would have never considered.
The challenge of working while in high school provided me the
opportunity to improve traits of responsibility, accountability,
commitment, initiative, and independence, while also practicing time
management and multitasking skills that would serve as a learning
curve for me in my college and adult life.