Happy Friday!
As I head into my final fully remote week in the SCAP Fellowship, I've been taking the time to reflect on this experience and everything valuable I’ve gained.
My first day was a freezing cold, overcast Vermont Monday. My first meeting, with my co-managers, immediately put me at ease, showing me that I was entering a world of supportive, encouraging partners who were excited to learn how they could help me define my own success. My only thoughts were on absorbing all the knowledge and experience I could out of this 13-week role.
As I progressed through immersion week, I realized I didn't know how to define my own success. I was a first-generation Business Admin major, who had been so focused on creating a future without the financial stress I watched my parents endure, I had lost sight of what filled me with passion, hope, creativity, and satisfied that craving of leading a fulfilling career. I had been pursuing a safety net, one that promised a monotonous life, without enthusiasm for what each day could bring. So, I dove into courses on the Starbucks Global Academy, on Defining Your Success, Career Mastery Tips, and Managing Yourself. I explored my passions for Project Management, Sustainability, and becoming a Coffee Master. I met with many partners to learn about their roles and what sparked their passion for it.
Then, I had a revelation. What made me so eager to come to work was the people. My co-workers, my managers, my customers. Every day that I got to walk through those doors and see my favorite faces invigorated me. And, as I started one of my projects, Throw Your Cap, it was made clear; my cup is filled by uplifting others. The partner shown below is a prior TYC winner. The contest is a chance for scholars who are in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan and graduating from ASU that semester to win FREE roundtrip airfare, 2-night hotel stay, and a $250 prepaid card to attend graduation in-person in AZ. Reading every partners' stories this semester was a great honor, and the exposure to these stories told me something huge: Starbucks has given me a chance to forge my own future, and I can't waste it.
As Professor Bradford said,
"When you think about what a first-generation student must do to get to university, they've already demonstrated a number of strengths that if channeled appropriately, will help them to succeed at university. By getting educated, they can now wield the pen. They can write their own stories."
As I reflect on the most valuable thing I have gained thus far, I'm proud to say it was the empowerment to seize and wield the almighty pen. I'm writing my own story, now as a Mass Communication & Media Studies major, so I can uplift others to pick up their pen and write.
So, thank you, Starbucks. You have not only given me work, a community, a college degree, and endless development opportunities, you have given me, and 25,000+ partners, a future, and the confidence to pursue it. 💚
Hens are still suffering in tiny, filthy cages in farms supplying Starbucks! They are dying on top of their own eggs! When will Starbucks put a stop to this? www.StarbucksCruelty.com