Work It, GA Girls!

Greenwich Academy students have filled their busy summers with numerous activities. Many students, the rising juniors in particular, got summer jobs as a way to fill their schedules, earn some money, and learn new skills. When approaching age 15 or 16, summer jobs become very appealing and accessible. However, it can be hard to find which ones go along with your interests, work with your schedule, and appeal to the type of person you are. Here are some summer jobs GA classmates had.

Peyton Williams ’24
Bookstore Clerk & Camp Counselor
Peyton Williams has been working at Athena Books in Old Greenwich since December. She likes the job because she gets to read more and learn about new books. She’s met other students from Greenwich High School and Manhattanville College who she otherwise would have never met. Furthermore, Peyton enjoys recommending books to others. She says, “I feel rewarded when people come back to the store to tell me they liked my recommendation.” Scheduling around jobs is very important, and even when Peyton had a hectic hockey schedule, she still found her job to be very manageable. There are a few drawbacks to her job, as Peyton says that the job requires lots of lifting boxes and it can sometimes be boring when people aren’t coming in all the time. However, she will be returning next summer and definitely recommends it to other teenagers, especially if you love reading!

Along with talking about her job at Athena’s Books, Peyton briefly mentioned her job as a counselor. Peyton worked as a camp counselor at a sleepaway camp she used to attend in Colorado. Peyton recommends this job but says it’s important to be someone who likes to work with kids because while they are a lot of fun, they are tiring and a lot to handle. She says it would be great if you had babysitting or other experience with kids before becoming a counselor.

Natalie Cook ’24
Camp Counselor
Natalie Cook was also a sleepaway camp counselor for the first time this summer at a camp she attended for years in Maine. Natalie really enjoyed her time as a counselor. She loves theater and was thrilled to direct a play and musical there. Since Natalie was a counselor, she interacted with many kids from different places in a way she hadn’t when she was a camper. The campers are there for weeks, and Natalie took on the role of comforting and sympathizing with those who were homesick. She says, “You have to be their friend, but also learn how to take control and be a leader when you need to.” Natalie was in Maine for two months and had to spend time at camp comforting others, rather than taking time to get herself used to that environment. All in all, Natalie loved her summer as a counselor and definitely recommends this job to others. She says that you need to “go in being ready to learn a lot” as well as know that you are not a camper, but rather “someone the campers turn to for help.” Kids can be very draining at times, but Natalie found the job rewarding and very much worthwhile. She will be returning next summer.

Caroline Lazar ’24
Pool Lifeguard
Caroline Lazar worked as a pool lifeguard over the summer. Along with that job, Caroline also taught swimming lessons to young kids. She enjoyed getting to know the kids and liked giving swimming lessons. She also found the job aligned well with the rest of her summer schedule. Despite this, Caroline had more negative things to say about the job. She thinks lifeguarding makes it hard to socialize with your coworkers as you are more isolated most of the time, and she didn’t think she had great chemistry with her fellow lifeguards. Also, watching over the pool is very boring, and she disliked having to pick up after the guests in the locker room at the end of each day. While Caroline does not recommend this job and won’t be returning next summer, she does say that she knows people who enjoy being a pool lifeguard, and it always depends on what type of environment you are in! These are just some aspects to keep in mind if you are interested in the job for next summer.

Percy Wayne ’24
Beach lifeguard
Percy Wayne was a beach lifeguard in Darien this summer. Though Percy was a lifeguard much like Caroline, the two jobs were very different; Percy worked at a beach and Caroline worked at a pool. Percy’s job included watching over people in the water, setting up umbrellas and chairs for people, as well as helping bring everything in and clean up the beach at the end of the day. Percy really enjoyed this job. She enjoyed working with and meeting college students who have very different lives than her, whom she would have never met otherwise. Additionally, Percy found the job rewarding. Along with earning her own money, she liked helping out the guests on the beach with their umbrellas, paddle boards, or anything else they needed. While Percy found many positives to lifeguarding, she found the job tiring. Her hours were long and being at the beach in the sun all day can be very tiring. All in all, Percy strongly recommends this job to people who enjoy the beach, being outside a lot, and meeting new people.

Sophia Lin ’24
Intern at Veterinary Clinic
Sophia Lin helped out at a veterinary clinic in Wyoming this summer. She performed pre-op and post-op surgery procedures, helped with vaccines, held dogs, took temperatures, cleaned up, etc. Sophia loved seeing the animals everyday and helping them. It was always rewarding to see a patient leave the clinic feeling better. However, she witnessed many pets’ suffering, which was a difficult experience. Sophia has wanted to be a vet for a while and this internship has only solidified that goal. Her schedule was busy due to her working seven-hour shifts almost every day for two months. Overall, Sophia recommends the job, but there were some negatives. The customers were very rude sometimes, even when the doctors and vet techs were doing their best to help. Additionally, she says that you “need to have the stomach for it because you will see a lot of things” when cleaning up crates or helping out in surgeries. Sophia recommends the job if you love animals but can also handle seeing them in pain, the gory or gross images, and rude customers. She also says that if you are seriously considering it, you have to find a state that allows you to work at a veterinary clinic without a medical license or certification. Sophia looks forward to working at the clinic again next summer.

Grace Genereux ’24 (me!)
Pro Shop at Public Golf Course
Over my summer, I worked in the Pro Shop at the public golf course of Greenwich. I sold golf carts, balls for the range, as well as clothes. I also scheduled lessons, took phone calls, and helped my boss prepare for outings on the course. I liked this job because I met a lot of different people, whether they played at the golf course or worked there with me. These interactions also helped me become more confident when I meet new people. It was also rewarding to give customers what they needed in the shop. I really liked my boss and coworkers; they tended to be easy to work with and fun to talk to, especially when we had a slower day. My schedule got a lot busier at the end of the summer with me working basically every day, but it was manageable and the shifts were never too long. However, the job could be very frustrating when customers were rude and disrespectful, so it was important for me to learn how to handle situations when people are frustrated. Overall, I would recommend this job to someone who likes to talk and meet new people, but would say it requires a lot of socializing as well as patience when customers are irritated.