Paige Hosbein Summer is a time for rejuvenation. It’s a break from school, but for some students, it’s not necessarily a break from hard work. What exactly were the Romans up to this summer? Senior Natalie Wexler has always been interested in the film industry and has been working for the Chicago-based company Amarock Productions since the summer of her sophomore year. Wexler has assisted on three projects, and her most recent was the movie, “Miss Arizona.” For this film, she managed the product placement by meticulously reading the script and generating ideas for necessary products and contacting companies. Since the movie’s cast was around 75% women, she aimed to work with female-owned companies. Natalie was on set for up to twelve hours per day. When asked what she liked most about her work, Natalie noted, “I love how storytelling in the industry influences positive change – whether it was the movie, ‘Legally Blonde,’ which empowered more women to become lawyers, or the TV program, ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ encouraging women to go into a surgical career. I hope to do the most good with the power of storytelling.” Most importantly, she advises students to acquire a part-time job for something they are truly passionate about, not for a college application. Alice Bolandhemat’s job search began when she crafted a resumé and inquired at neighborhood stores to get a summer job. Initially, she felt defeated from getting rejections due to her age — they only hired those 18 or older. “I was so eager to get my first job,” said Alice, “When I was constantly turned away, it discouraged me at first, but I kept applying.” She then applied to all of Jeni’s locations, recommended by alumni Lauren Salzman, and decided to visit the Wells location in-person. She immediately clicked with the hilarious, who accepted her after her interview, noting that she loves high school students for their excellent work ethic. “I knew I had found the right place within the first few minutes of the interview. The shop’s manager had such a warm personality, and she seemed confident that Jeni’s would be a great fit for me,” said Alice. She came to work ready to scoop, but it was much harder than she anticipated. “I definitely underestimated how difficult scooping ice cream would be.” Surprisingly, the scooping proved incredibly hard on her wrists, and there was substantial information to memorize for every flavor. Still, she didn’t lose hope. Alice iced her wrists and worked hard to memorize everything; she can now talk for at least five minutes about one particular flavor. She also learned from her coworkers – college students of Loyola and DePaul. They bonded over their shared interests, especially when closing up shop at 1:00 a.m. “I’m so glad I didn’t give up when the job became difficult; for if I had, I would’ve missed out on the wonderful memories I made this summer,” concluded Alice. Emma Beier and Amy Lee are two other students who took on a summer gig. They both play for Latin’s varsity tennis team and decided to take their talents to Bryn Mawr Country Club, where they worked in the tennis facility. Emma noted, “My responsibilities varied from day-to-day, but most days I would groom the tennis courts, clean up, manage the tennis hut, and sometimes give lessons to little kids. It was a really fun and terrific experience.”   Whether you fancy particular industry, scooping scrumptious ice cream, or expanding your tennis abilities, consider staying involved in your community through getting a job. You may gain some salient skills in the process. ]]>