Maya Harris, a freshman at Kirkwood Community College, is both a fulltime student and employee and says she has a different outlook on college life.
Harris said she has to be consistently organized throughout each week and plan out her days precisely in order to maintain good grades. Harris is working toward her Liberal Arts degree while also working fulltime at Starbucks at Hy-Vee.
“I schedule the times that I don’t work to leave for homework, so most of the time after work I will then carve out two hours to do homework,” said Harris.
She said she puts everything in her calendar for the week and sets many alarms so she can achieve what she needs to get done for the day.
Because she has never worked a fulltime job before, she said proper scheduling is a necessity.
Although Harris enjoys her work and the people she works with, it’s hard to have a social life when she’s always working or doing homework. “I have three really close friends and they understand I’m very busy most of the time,” said Harris.
She added, “Sometimes I get the chance to make plans with them and I really value those times.”
When she really needs a day off she said her work is pretty lenient on giving it to her. She uses those days to get caught up on schoolwork or chores.
Harris does have a scheduled day off once a week on Sunday. She uses that day to go back home to her family and said that her mom typically comes up with something fun for them to do.
Harris said she has dealt with some mental health issues and a lot of stress while having this schedule. She found that going to a therapist every other week helps a lot. It gives her a space to talk out any problems.
“I like to be in tune with my body and mind,” said Harris. “I just feel like when my head is not in the right space then my schoolwork isn’t as good and I slack at work.”
Although it is a challenge, Harris said it’s very rewarding. She works a lot now but is saving money so next year she can have a part time job and have a more fun college experience.
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