Walking down the bright campus hall way was a young man wearing a beige, green, and dark blue striped sweater with a coffee cup that blended in. As he made his way down from building L to building A, he searched for a study room within the library that had the same colors as his sweater.
Armando Vieyra, 22, is a freshman at Moraine Valley majoring in Biology with 15-credit hours. In the beginning of the semester of Spring 2019, Vieyra lived on a tight schedule so he could balance his school work, commuting to and from school, going to the gym and also working full-time at Walmart as night manager. Vieyra had to adjust his school schedule in order for him to be able to work full-time in order for him to earn enough to pay his bills.
Later on, he became unemployed allowing him to clear his mind set and focus on what is important to him.
“I noticed a big difference with working and not working,” Vieyra said, who added that while he was employed he had to balance out his time when it came to school and being employed.
With him being unemployed, Vieyra is able to deal with his schoolwork on a day to day bases.
“There’s more flow and I’m not as stressed,” he said as he laid back in his seat with a sigh of relief.
Not everyone is as lucky as Vieyra where they are able to catch a break towards half of the semester. Walking through a cafeteria filled with students in groups with their laptops out preparing for finals, was a girl with a low, loose ponytail. With her book-bag hanging low, and the black oversized sweater she wore indicated that the semester was coming to an end.
Yasmine Aziz, 22, is a Junior at Roosevelt University majoring in political science with 12-credit-hours and working over 40 hours a week at Walgreens Pharmacy. Aziz and her mother are the ones providing for their family at home with food and paying bills. This prevents Aziz from taking as many classes as she would like due to the fact that her job will not allow her to miss work Monday thru Thursday.
“I can’t come to school Monday thru Thursday. It has to be either Monday, Wednesday or Tuesday, Thursday,” Aziz said, adding that her job prefers her to come in Mondays and Wednesdays leaving her with squeezing her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
With Aziz squeezing her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she tries to get all her school done on those days since she does not have to stress about rushing to work.
“I guess in theory, I could try to do the work on my earlier days when I get out but it’s so hard because I’m mentally drained when I come home from work. So, it’s hard to concentrate,” Aziz said as she giggled with a sigh of stress and anxiousness.
Many students who work full time like Aziz, drift apart from their social life. Aziz continued to say that her and her best friend drifted apart because they both work full time and go to school full time preventing them from seeing each other as much as they would like. However, she still keeps in close contact with her friends who do not work or do not go to school, but she would still like to see them more than she does now.
Many can relate to this including Maria Hernandez, 22, who is a Junior at UIC majoring in criminal justice with 12-credit-hours and working 40 hours at an insurance agency. Hernandez lives on her own leaving her no choice but to work full time in order to provide for herself without her parent’s support while going to school Monday thru Friday.
“Honestly, it’s all about learning how to manage your time and schedule,” Hernandez says adding that she tries to get her school work done during her two days off along with doing small activities throughout the day to keep her from stressing such as breakfast with friends or going to the gym.
With Hernandez’s love for school, she wishes that she had the option to quit work in order to be more involved in school activities. Along with her busy schedule, she still tries to keep in contact with those she loves even though she might not be able to see them as much as she would life. Motivation and a positive mindset are key to being success and that’s what Hernandez does to keep herself going.
“Look at the bigger picture always when you’re stressed or are having a bad day… always think that this is for the future me… and soon I’ll be able to work in what I love to do and it’ll all be worth it,” Hernandez said with a huge grin from ear to ear.