After months of being strapped for cash, students must find a way to replenish funds for the upcoming summer months and next school year. For if not, how could we survive without snacks from Wawa? This annual rite of summer employment has been a staple of the high school experience since the beginning of time, so let’s explore how our Tigers are spending their summers.
Due to most camps only requiring CPR certifications, which are easy for students to get, being a camp counselor is one of the most simple and effective ways to make money or get community service hours this summer. Senior Jack Monte shared his plans to work at TIC summer camp at GDS as a programming and robotics counselor. Motivated by his previous experience as a camper at TIC and STEM background, as soon as the application became available it was a “no brainer.” Thrilled by an opportunity to combine work with fun as he enters the workforce, Monte added, “I look forward to making minimum wage, and complaining about it.”
Taking a similar route, sophomore Teddy Benach is working at Home Run baseball camp at Turtle Park this summer. Rivaling the famous Kids Elite, Home Run Baseball has been a fairly popular choice among Jackson-Reed students with around six to eight participating annually. “I can see my love for the sport reciprocated on their faces,” said Benach. “My favorite part is getting kids to fall in love with the game I already love.” Benach is a pitcher for our baseball team, and emphasized his love for the sport and his joy in sharing it with a younger generation.
While some students would argue that summer is a time to relax and shouldn’t be about working, others aren’t horsing around. Sophomore Talita Travis is working as an assistant director of a horse camp in Virginia, helping out around the barn and managing campers. Her previous experience riding, and being a camper, allows her to take up larger responsibilities such as taking groups on long trail rides and supervising jumping practice as well as other exercises. “The most important part is finding a balance between pushing them to improve and still having a great time,” said Travis.
Taking a more unique approach to his summer, sophomore Akil Gunn is working as a volunteer for Travelers Aid International (TAI), an international network of social service agencies aimed at providing travelers with a safety net to connect with a support system. His role is to act as a representative of Reagan National Airport and provide travelers with information and assistance. “I’m a student pilot, and I hope to one day be a commercial airline pilot. Volunteering at TAI was the obvious choice.” said Gunn. In his role, improving people’s experiences at the airport and helping them enjoy their time in the nation’s capital is a highlight of the job. Gunn added, “TAI doesn’t pay me, but seeing the smile on a traveler’s face when I solve their problems is the only payment I need.”
From being a camp counselor to working at an airport, there are endless opportunities to take advantage of in the upcoming summer months. The only question is, how badly do you want that Wawa?
