For many high school students working is a fun thing to participate in because it gives students a sense of the “real world” and grants them independence, while also doing something they are passionate about. Nobody expects the world to go through a pandemic, let alone be working during one. Many teenagers are faced with the challenge of having to work during COVID-19, and/or choosing to work during this time to make a difference during this scary time the world is in.

“I don’t feel like I have impacted the world by working but I do feel like the Stillwater community that shops at target has been grateful towards the employees still working,” junior Joey Boyd said.

High school students chose to work for a variety of reasons, whether that be having to provide for themselves or family, working for the experience, or to meet more people and gain new skills. Choosing to work during any time can be tough, but choosing to work during a pandemic is a whole other thing. 

Junior Joey Boyd explained that she chose to work during COVID-19 because it is a way to get out of the house, she can continue to make money during a time where she’s not spending as much.

Essential workers are what keeps the world spinning during these difficult times. Whether nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, or nannies for the child of frontline workers. Frontline workers are crucial during COVID-19, many people struggle to find child care because of the many closures of childcare facilities. 

Junior Molly O’Connell is a nanny for an essential worker because “it’s a safe environment to work where she can make money and people still need child care.”

I chose to work because grocery stores are crucial in a time like this and I enjoy helping people. With the current state, the world is in I felt like I could make a difference and help as long as I am healthy. Working at a place such a Target is crazy during any normal time of the year, but during COVID-19 I am faced with different working conditions and new tasks. Customers are stressed while shopping, hours have varied and cleaning is a whole other level now. Choosing to work during this time showed me how even being just a cashier can make a difference in the community. 

Without frontline workers, the world would look different during a time like now.  During this crisis, the world has a much bigger swath of the workforce—far more Americans, in many industries—unexpectedly in harm’s way. Millions of American workers are literally risking their lives every day on the job, saving desperately ill patients, ensuring food and medicine get to our stores and homes, and keeping the public safe. The young and the old are put with the dangerous task of working during a time like this. Stay home to keep other people and yourself safe.

“I feel like I am more at risk to get COVID-19 since I am exposed to so many people every time I work,” Junior Joey Boyd explained.