Business Administration major Chang-hee Lee works in the Center for Academic Success on Mar. 3, 2015. Parkland employs hundreds of student workers each semester.
Jordan Hannah
Staff Writer
Not every student enrolled at Parkland is eligible to receive Financial Aid, and many do not qualify for a scholarship either. Some students are lucky enough to receive financial help from their families, and some are not. Many students must work to pay for the roof over their heads. The challenges these students face can sometimes be overwhelming.
Radiology student Alexis Paschal is one of these working students. She works between 27 and 30 hours and is currently taking on 13 credit hours here at Parkland. In her opinion, transportation is one of the biggest factors for working students.
“Transportation is a big factor. My car broke down and because I don’t live in a student area, busses don’t serve the community,” Paschal stated.
Paschal also explained how hard it is to juggle being both a student and a worker.
“I have to do well in school and in my job, I have to show up for school and work being late to school will affect my grades, and being late to work affects employment,” Paschal added.
Business Student and Tax Repairman Brodney P. Uebele works 19 hours per week and has taken up 13 credit hours at Parkland. Uebele also understands how difficult managing both of these roles can be. In Uebele’s opinion, the hardest part of being a working student is finding the time to manage both the demands of school and his job.
“I am a tax repairman. There are times I have to do homework very late or before class and it is a lot of juggling,” Uebele said.
Time management seems to be a huge burden to those who work and go to school. Some students must combine these two environments in order to keep food on the table, and pay their bills. They might even have to find the time to get some homework done while on the clock at work.
“Some days it’s dead. I have time to do homework but not all the time,” Uebele added.
Even though food and utilities are on the line, it is still hard for some students to find the motivation required to push through each semester. Nursing Major Ebone Ross is another student who must wear multiple hats in order to get by. Ross is working 35 hours a week and taking on 8 credit hours. She explained the difficulties she faces when it comes to being an employed student, citing time management as an essential skill.
“You have to know balance work and school. You must be able to get your school work done, but you have to have time for work too,” Ross explained. “When I have homework or a paper, occasionally you have to work too. I have to concentrate what I have to do once I get off work. Sometimes I get off Walmart at 9pm and have a paper due that morning. Some jobs simply don’t understand that I am a student. I have to do work and school.”
There are many students here at Parkland who deal with the stress of working a job while attending school. A significant number of these students are not taking advantage of the resources provided to them by the college, such as scholarships or financial guidance. These students carry a heavy burden and, unfortunately, not all of them possess the drive necessary to make it through the challenging experience of attending college. Parkland does provide a lot of assistance to these students through various departments and programs. Students having a hard time coping with the stress may benefit from a free massage in Parkland’s Wellness Center located in Room U 112. Students who just need somebody to talk to can visit the Counseling and Advising Center located in Room U 267.
