[metaslider id=2231]
By Claudia Pacheco | News Editor & Elke Kelly | Writer, Photographer
December 17, 2014
Hours of work on top of a 7 hour school day? It seems like an almost impossible feat, but many SCHS students sacrifice their free time to rake in the extra bucks. When you look closer, however, you can see that these students are not just slaving away at their jobs. (viagrageneric.org) We gained some insight into the different student work environments from Anita Rivas, Ally Beckwitt, and Liam Buhl.
Junior Liam Buhl has been working at Beachfire Pizza across the San Clemente Pier since July. He started at the bottom of the work force, but he pushed through, stating, “I worked hard so now I’m a supervisor.”
While serving pizza to demanding customers is not always a breeze, Buhl is thankful for his “work family,” remarking, “I feel like I’m just hanging out with my friends so it’s great.” One of his favorite work friends is an immigrant from Mexico named Eugenio. Not only has Eugenio brought a Mexican twist to the menu (pineapple empenadas, pizza burritos, and churros), he has also helped Buhl practice speaking Spanish outside of school. Along with having his best friends by his side, Buhl does not mind the ocean view right outside the front door.
After a long day at the beach, cruise over to Beachfire Pizza and he’ll be ready to serve you in a flash.
A little farther up the street on Del Mar you can find Junior Anita Rivas hosting at Avila’s El Ranchito. She started hosting as her first job last August and has gradually been learning the ins and outs of working in hospitality. “I love greeting and talking to our customers,” Rivas notes about her job.
However, at certain times throughout the day, the restaurant gets packed and she has to rush around, attempting to please impatient customers. Rivas was supposed to host the day of the Del Mar shooting last October, but she had a friend cover her shift so she could attend the popular music festival, “Beach Goth.” While she was at the concert, her coworkers all started texting her at once, stating that they had just heard two gunshots from directly across the street and that the SWAT team was barricading the store. While she was not present that day herself, she still remarks it as the memory that sticks out the most in her mind from her time working at El Ranchito.
On a more positive note, Rivas loves her job and her coworkers, who are “like family,” to her. She looks forward to working her way up to a server position as soon as possible.
For Junior Ally Beckwitt, mastering the entire Starbucks menu last month was her main priority. She began working just in time for the seasonal rush of sweater-wearing teenagers in constant demand of Frappuccinos and Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Alongside SCHS senior Dylan Cox, Theckwitt tackles all aspects of the Starbucks experience – restocking food items, grabbing pastries, making drinks, and most importantly spelling names correctly. “The first day I didn’t know if I could handle it,” Beckwitt reveals. “But I made flashcards to memorize the drinks, and pretty soon it all became second nature.” Another force that guided her through the learning process was her best friend since elementary school, junior Emma Woolbert, who has been working at the same Starbucks for over a year now.
She claims that most customers are polite, but “there are definitely those who allow no room for error with their coffee.” Overall, Beckwitt thrives on the fast paced environment and constant rush of energy in the shop.
On your coffee breaks and dinners out on the town, don’t forget to look out for Liam Buhl, Anita Rivas, and Ally Beckwitt!
Leave a Reply