Work Experience

    With the Leadership Co-op Program that I am currently a part of, we have 5 classes instead of 4. One of those classes is Work Experience. This program allows us to halt all school-related activities for three weeks and to actually go out in the real world. For my work experience period with Co-op, I chose a retail path since I'm hoping to get a part-time job with the skills and knowledge I'd gain. Therefore, I got to spend three weeks at Old Navy.

OLD NAVY

    On my first day, I was introduced to the managers, other associates, and other work experience students from the district. The other work experience student and I got the basic training, which included our daily routines, key terms, and just things that will help make our job as sales associates easier. Through the duration of the three weeks, I had the opportunity to help customers, develop new skills, and practice my folding. I did A LOT of folding. Additionally, I got the chance to get to know a lot of the employees that worked there already. Everyone was incredibly friendly and understanding. One thing that I really enjoyed about this opportunity was that I was forced out my comfort zone. By talking to customers and getting to know the other associates, I was forced to develop my social skills. I'm usually quite quiet around new people, but I had to move past that. Over the period of three weeks, I gained more confidence when it comes to talking to new people.