Hard work in the real world
May 1, 2008
By: Jaclyn Chen <jchen@hilite.org>
The aroma of Romano cheese emanating from the brick oven and the texture of spices and tomatoes from the stovetop normally stirs a fiery appetite, but tonight Trey Colangelo cannot think of anything but escaping this Italian food hell.
After leaving Carrabba’s, Trey will sink into bed after 12 to 13 hours of menial work only to start it yet again tomorrow. This lifestyle is not one many teens, especially in Carmel, are privy to, but it is one that is the unfortunate reality for Trey.
Trey, 18 years old, is part of the, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40 percent of the teenage population aged 16 to 19 that is currently employed. However, his employment means something completely different all together than that of most teens.
“I wish I had a family who’d pay for my college (tuition) next year,” he says. “But I’m living basically on my own, and I have to pay for everything right now: car payments, car insurance, gas, doctor’s visits, everything.”
Trey would have been a senior here at Carmel had life panned out the way he expected, but nothing, he says, has ever worked out quite so easily. He says he manages eight to nine hours at McDonalds and then hosts another four to five hours at Carrabba’s. And since his dad asked him to move out a few months ago, he is currently living with a friend’s family and trying to scrounge up enough money between now and September so that he can afford to go to community college, where he plans to spend two years before transferring to another university.
“I used to not care about doing well in school. I would skip and think that it was no big deal,” Trey says. “But that changed when I moved and figured out I couldn’t keep doing that.”
Even though the family he stays with charges a generously small sum for rent, Trey still has trouble keeping up financially.
“I don’t understand how some adults go through it all,” he says. “I have minimum expenses, and I’m barely making it paycheck to paycheck.”
As his story unravels, his worries become apparent. Other than which semblance of a major he plans to pursue in college, he, as an 18-year-old, should ideally have little to stress over. But his situation hardly yields that luxury, so instead he has on his shoulders an immeasurable burden.
Trey moved from Carmel to Salt Spring, FL two years ago with his mother. He transferred to the local high school—commuting 50 miles round-trip each day—and enrolled in day and night school in order to graduate a semester early.
“Carmel is a big city compared to Salt Spring. There was a grocery store, the campgrounds where my mom worked, a post office and that was basically it,” Trey recalls. And because he lived so far from school, making friends was difficult, so he chose to take computer classes at night to expedite his graduation.
A variety of circumstances moved him from Florida to Georgia to Indiana, from his mom’s full employment to Medicaid and food stamps, and in the midst of all these changes, working was always a constant.
“I guess I had to grow up a lot faster than most people,” Trey says, as he proceeds to list all the different states he’s lived in. “Working so much has really opened my eyes to how some of America lives.
“And I’m not bashing anyone who’s been there, but I don’t want to be a manager at McDonalds for the rest of my life. That’s just not how I see myself.”
Most teens in Carmel should be grateful to go to college at all, let alone some of the outstanding institutions that students matriculate to. Many put in hours at a minimum wage job, but few depend on work shifts for survival. And most of all, most are blessed with parents who have instilled in them the importance of education.
Trey says he’s learned the value of an education the hard way. “It’s definitely worth it to get a degree. I want a decent job, so I don’t have to work 12 to 13 hours a day, so I don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck,” Trey says. “It’s definitely opened my eyes to how some of America lives.”
Despite his realization of the importance of a college degree, Trey says he still needs to face the reality of his situation. He says he’s always wanted to be a veterinarian, but since getting admitted to vet school can be challenging, he can’t take the chance due to the financial risk.
He says, “I’m still so confused about where I’m headed. I’ve tried to plan for the future before, but it’s never worked out for me. What is clear though is that I’m for sure going to school and graduating with a college degree.”
Trey is looking into business majors and hopefully something in restaurant or hotel management.
And when Trey graduates college in four years like most seniors here, his will perhaps be the greater accomplishment. Everyone else will have worked hard in school, yes, but it would have been a true waste not to tap into the luxury and support most parents had afforded them. What students at Carmel have achieved seems easy considering the resources granted them, by both their families and this school.
And as Trey says, despite the uncertainty about the future, one thing is clear: a degree is the most important thing. Everything else is a blessing. Jaclyn is editor in chief of the HiLite. Contact her at jchen@hilite.org
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