With June fast approaching, three UA teens look forward to continuing summer work.
By Ceri Turner, ’12
It is early on a Monday morning in mid-July. Hannah Johnston is already all set up in her Sweet Scetti stall at a local farmers market, selling cupcakes and baked goods to the morning’s shoppers. Emory Bergdoll smooths her dress as she walks briskly through the doors of the statehouse on her way to Ohio Sen. Tom Patton’s office. Back in UA Francis Wilamosky starts his mower and begins to transform the unruly lawn before him into one worthy of a glossy magazine spread.
Instead of lazily wasting their summer days watching TV, reading or hanging out at the pool, these three students spent the summer of 2010 being productive and gaining invaluable work experience.
Freshman Hannah Johnston works as a cashier at Sweet Scetti, a local home bakery that specializes in fresh baked goodies and candies.
“My mom actually started [the bakery] about two years ago,” Johnston said. “She needed some help selling stuff, so I said I’d do it.”
Although the early mornings could, in Johnston’s opinion, be better spent sleeping in, the benefits of the job far outweigh the negatives. Even though it’s a family business, Johnston said she still gets to experience a traditional work environment.
“People might think it’s more laid back [because my mom’s the boss], but it’s not,” she said. “She treats me just like everyone else.”
Conversely, junior Emory Bergdoll, a summer office assistant for Sen. Tom Patton, has much more variety in her work.
“I do pretty much anything they need me to,” Bergdoll said. “Everything from going on coffee runs for the college interns to answering emails and letters to filing and organizing information to helping run different outings.”
Bergdoll’s work at the statehouse has given her valuable insight into the professional world of business and politics.
“It’s truly a great experience in that I get a firsthand look at what goes on,” she said. “I learn so much every day.”
Junior Francis Wilamosky has the opportunity to observe and become a part of the business world. Wilamosky and his business partner, junior Hans Aschinger, are the co-owners and foremen of A & W Lawn Care. These titles come with equally weighty obligations.
“I am responsible for setting up estimates for all customers that call and want business,” Wilamosky said. “For day-to-day work, I do everything from mowing yards, mulching, picking weeds… basically anything [a] lawn needs.”
iiiiThe benefits of the business go beyond monetary gain; for Wilamosky, there is a true pride he has in his work.
“I can sit back when I’m finished and look at what I just accomplished,” he said. “[It’s great] when customers think that I’m an adult who does this for a living.”
From starter jobs at family and community businesses to self-employed entrepreneurship, opportunities for summer jobs are endless for UA teens. These jobs also have endless benefits; working tends to foster responsibility, accountability and money management skills.
“I make my own money,” Wilamosky said. “I don’t rely on my parents.”
Although there is definitely an abundance of jobs available to most 16- and 17-year-olds and a good handful to 14- and 15-year-olds, most of these positions fill up fast, and for the summer of 2011 it is best to apply early. Whether a kid’s plan is to intern for a high-powered CEO in the city or to open a lemonade stand at the end of their driveway, it is generally recommended that students begin the search now.
“Don’t miss out,” Bergdoll said. “Working is a great way to spend your summer, but you have to make sure you’ll enjoy what you do.” •