April’s contest winner!
It was a nearly impossible decision, but we have a winner! Congrats to Jade W., whose first hourly job, which she got as a high school sophomore, knocked our socks off!
A friend of mine introduced me to his best college buddy, Brady, over brunch and we became fast friends. Turns out he had a successful designer clothing boutique and was overwhelmed at work. He ended up hiring me as a merchandising and marketing specialist. I lived an ultimate women’s fantasy; I was paid to shop for merchandise! I would hang out at designers’ homes and studios and meet with vendors and bring samples to Brady of clothing that I felt we had to feature in the boutique. I also arranged the store displays, organized events for the boutique and attended parties to network, MySpace was a job requirement, and occasionally closed down early to play dress-up with celebrity regulars. We did so well at the first location that we opened a second boutique. I was given the responsibility to find the decor to match Brady’s concept and find the beautiful girls who would work in our new boutique. I found new local clothing talent to stock in the boutique and when a regular client and pop star wore this little known shirt company, that local label became a hit.
I felt like I was golden; I could see my work in every fiber of clothing, every frame of art, and the curved leg of every chair. I was addicted to hearing compliments on my work and it made me feel so much pride and swelled my self esteem. As a kid, I always felt I was in the shadow of my successful family and never can amount to what they felt was a success. I loved this job because it made me feel like their opinions did not matter anymore because I found something I was terrific in. I was making as much money as my parents and I was just a high school sophomore. As a bonus, for every five new clients I accrued $500 for any designer merchandise I wanted from our vendors so I rarely bought my clothing even though I could easily afford it. Near my graduation, I felt like Hollywood glamour was not enough and I needed to conquer new challenges. I quit and because of that income I traveled around the world and found my true calling; volunteering to make a difference in our world. – Jade W.
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