We Need You Here
The large & well-lit room with the “Career Center” sign feels very welcoming. A nice lady at the Registration desk looks friendly & smiles: “Do you have an appointment?” I answer: “Yes,” and notice how my voice shakes, or so it seems. I am nervous. Clutching a folder with my newly created resume, I am waiting on my counselor to invite me to her desk. “Who is my counselor?” – I wonder.
Some students work on their resumes at the appointed computer stations while others sit in their counselors’ cubicles, talking & listening, making notes. I am awkwardly stepping from one foot to another, still waiting; it seems like a long time, but in reality, just several minutes. My anxiousness makes time feel slower than it actually is. Here she comes.
She is dressed with style: I notice it right away because, in America, it is very rare. Her haircut looks sharp; she wears some beautiful statement jewelry, and she smiles too. Her eyes sparkle: “Come on in!” She invites me to her desk and asks me some questions. I can tell that she is a very experienced & well-seasoned professional. She takes a look at my resume. Her eyes widen with surprise and right away lit up with an idea!
She says: “We need you here, in our department! Come tomorrow & I’ll arrange for you a meeting with our supervisor! I am sure she will gladly hire you!” I cannot believe what I just heard. All of us, international students, were encouraged to go to the Career Center & warned that the jobs on campus are usually scarce, but we should keep trying. Nevertheless, I have just found my first job in America on the spot & made an excellent American friend for years to come.
PS. In the photo, I am holding my first American paycheck, my shining eyes reflecting: «I am needed here indeed!»
