We asked Matthew, who serves on all of our My ROAD Empowerment Boards, a few questions about his job and dignity of risk. Matthew is a barista living in Frisco, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University, enjoying his time in the inclusive Aggie ACHIEVE program.
Q: What do you do for work?
I work at a coffee shop, for about a year now.
Q: How did you feel when you got your job?
It was awesome, I had a friend from college who actually told my mom about this coffee shop. When he told my mom about it, we did an interview, and I found out the owner who owned the shop went to A&M, too. They were big fans and they hired me. Working at this coffee shop has been awesome!
Q: What makes your job special?
Working with people. I do Special Olympics and have friends who do Special Olympics. A lot of them who do it work at that coffee shop, and I thought that was cool.
Q: What was easy or hard about your job when you first started it?
It wasn’t easy when I started because I had to learn about being a cashier and had to learn how to make drinks. It took a little time, but as I went through and learned, it became easier. Now I’m a pro.
Q: What has helped you learn your role?
A cheat sheet at the coffee shop has all the drinks with measurements, and that has helped me make drinks. And we have a team lead who comes to our work, and they help us with making drinks.
Q: What would you tell someone who wants to start working?
Getting a job is not easy. I used to work at a grocery store, and I’ve worked at a lot of places when I was in college, too. But, when I got my first job after I graduated, working at the coffee shop took me a while to get used to it.
Q: In your free time, what do you like to do for fun?
I like to play sports like basketball and top golf, hang out with friends at sporting events, and go out to eat, concerts, and on walks.
