Students might soon be out of school but they are still working hard for a better future, trading in their notebooks and chromebooks for their work uniforms. Not only are summer jobs a chance for students to earn some cash, it shows them what it’s like to be an adult. Summer jobs for teens can teach them responsibility, time management, and even help them figure out what they want to do in the future.
Many students from Hampton Bays High School have summer jobs. Students use the summer to work and save their money, most students only work in the summer because they are busy during the school year. Summer jobs can really impact a student’s life; it teaches them valuable life skills that they will need in order to progress in life.
Mrs. Boden in Hampton Bays High School’s attendance office hands out the official working papers. Students at Hampton Bays are always requesting working papers; from last June until now she has given out about 160 sets of papers. She stated she usually sees an upkick from April to June as students are preparing to find summer work. In addition students usually come on their birthday to get their papers.
Many students work at summer camps and town parks. Maddy Jarrin is a sophomore at Hampton Bays and will be returning for her second summer at Shine Camp in Bridgehampton. She works with alot of kids from ages 11 and under. There are two camps that she works in, a big kid camp and a little kid camp. Although she says it’s sometimes it is stressful having to care for the children six and under she enjoys working there. Maddy stated that she will most likely be returning throughout her high school years because it is a stable job.
Ashari Pressley is a junior at Hampton Bays, and has been working at Coopers Beach located in Southampton for two summers now. She stated that the work can be hard at times but it is also rewarding.
Another popular work option is in food service. Sophomore Luis Grajales will be working at McDonalds this summer and starts at the end of June. He stated that he is a little nervous because it is his first job. Luis is looking forward to starting a new chapter of his life.
Junior Richard Prado, will be working this summer at Local Burger in Southampton. This will be his second year working there. He stated that he does everything from cooking to working the counter; he likes his job even though it can be very busy.
Lloyd Booth is a senior at Hampton Bays and this summer will be returning for his fourth year at Francesca’s Pizzeria. Booth said he does a bit of everything ranging from taking mobile orders to cleaning or refilling sauces. He stated that he enjoys his job but it can be stressful at times especially in the summer. “Sometimes I get thrown on kitchen duty if they’re swamped and need me to prepare dishes.”
Another senior working at a restaurant is Larry Ochoa, who is employed at Shippy’s in Southampton this summer. It will be his first summer there and he is looking forward to it. He is very excited to work there and will be working his hardest to save his money for college.
No matter where students are working, they all seem to agree that although it their jobs can sometimes be challenging, they are definitely worth it.
