Balancing school and work

Senior+Emilia+Maxwell+at+Suns+Up.

Photo provided by the author

Senior Emilia Maxwell at Suns Up.

Students at Wilsonville High School have many different extracurricular activities during the school year. Some participate in clubs or sports, some even have jobs. This can be a challenging thing to balance with classwork and other responsibilities during the year. So just how do students take on the responsibility of having a job during school and how do they balance their job with schoolwork?

Senior Emilia Maxwell got her first job the summer before her senior year. She works at Suns Up, a tanning salon in Wilsonville. “I think having a job is really important to learn responsibility,” Maxwell begins, “I have learned how to have integrity and balance my time while having this job.” Going off to college next year Maxwell feels as if this job has helped her to become more independent and prepared for the responsibility of being on her own. 

Maxwell also touched on what she thought of her job, “I like to make a connection with the people that come in to tan, it makes the job much more fun and my shifts always go by really quickly”. She also adds, “A lot of my friends work with me so that always makes it more fun!” Because this job is something that Emilia really enjoys it feels like less of a responsibility to her and is something she looks forward to doing. 

Senior Hunter McilMoil also has a job this year working at her father’s veterinary clinic. “It was definitely hard at first to learn how to balance work, school, and hanging out with my friends,” McilMoil shares, “but as time went on I got better at balancing these things.” McilMoil has learned how to balance her time well. This means that she is always able to do well in school, go to work, and also be able to spend time doing things like running and hanging out with her friends.  

“It was definitely hard at first to learn how to balance work, school, and hanging out with my friends… but as time went on I got better at balancing these things”

— Hunter McilMoil

While balancing school and a job may seem very difficult, these students have been able to find a balance. They also feel as if having a job has helped to prepare them for the responsibility and independence they will face in their lives.