High school can be difficult…but work and school? That’s never easy. According to the US Census, over one in four high schoolers over the age of sixteen work part-time. While this speaks nationally, many Padua students also maintain a work-school life.

Maddie Perez, a junior, works at Mcdonald’s on Concord Pike about twenty hours a week. She discusses how she generally likes having a job, but that it can interfere with school. “Working for me isn’t too bad, because I like my coworkers and Mcdonald’s isn’t as terrible as it seems. It can be overwhelming, going from school, then to work until the evening, then back home to do more homework, but I have been making it work for the past year and have learned to balance the two.” Maggie Banker, grade eleven, works at Janssen’s Market in Greenville about eighteen hours a week. “I usually work longer shifts a few days a week rather than short shifts every day. That typically helps me manage school and work, since I have some free time during the week to focus on school.” Alyssa Dibartolo, grade eleven, works about nine hours a week at a daycare in her gym. “I really only work a couple nights a week for short periods of time. This doesn’t interfere with school most of the time.When I’m working nights where I have big tests the next morning, it can be stressful. I’ve learned to study a few nights before if I know I’m working, rather than just procrastinating.”

Danielle Savage, grade eleven, has never had a job but wishes she did. “If I had a job, I would be able to stop relying on my parents for money and it would make me independent! I would like to get one in the near future, but for now I’m stuck with the occasional babysitting. I also play sports, so working could make it difficult for me to maintain my grades and be able to do my schoolwork, plus sports on top of everything.

Working and school can be hard, but when done right lead to a sense of independence and extra money for those Cycle 7 El Diablo runs.