Today is my last day at Starbucks at the William T. Young Library. After 10 straight days of working, I thought that I would be thrilled to be leaving. I admit, when I got to work this morning, I found myself complaining and thinking how ready I was for my shift to be over and to be done with this place. As I sit here on my break, though, I realized just how much this place means to me and that I will be sad to leave. I never thought that a silly college job could play such a huge role in my life and be a significant chapter that is now coming to a close. As a new chapter opens in my life, I will take what I learned from the previous one and be thankful for the opportunity I was given. When I first put an apron on Labor Day 2009, I didn't know I was starting a job that had such a great impact on the community. Here at the University of Kentucky, this Starbucks plays a huge role in the lives of students and employees. I found it very interesting to see how a simple cup of coffee could turn someone’s whole day around. I never thought I would bond with the regulars like I did. They asked about my life and I would ask about theirs. This semester when I had to work nights instead of mornings, the regulars asked worriedly where I had been when I saw them. There were times when the line was out the door at 11 o'clock at night and we were short staffed and running out of everything we needed to function that I wanted to throw my apron down and say that I quit. These moments would soon evaporate when a customer sincerely thanked me for the Java Chip Frappuccino they had been craving all day or when I gave a free cookie to a customer and they face lit up like I had just given them a free car. I learned that corporations are important in our country. Starbucks may be one of the biggest corporations in the world, but somehow, customers come in day after day like it is the local coffee shop down the street. I have learned so much about myself at this job, good and bad. I learned how to be a leader and how to gain respect. I learned things that will help me in anything I do in the future. And most importantly, I met some of my best friends. If it weren't for this job, I would not have met so many people who have changed my life and shown me that true friends do exist. It probably wasn't so good for Starbuck that we all became so close because we love to goof off. I will never forget all my starbuddies and the fun times we had at work and away from work. As I enter this new and exciting chapter in my life, I hope that it can be just as good as the last. Thanks for the memories, Starbucks.
