Balancing school and work as a student in high school can be challenging. Students at West work early on to save money and buy things they want, but some work to help pay bills and help out their family. In Alaska, there are many teens that work, mostly at fast food restaurants or in retail stores. In Alaska minors are not allowed to work more than six days a week. Most teens use their money to buy food, clothes, and other miscellaneous things without asking their parents.

Linnea Renken, a Senior at West, works at Wild Scoops. Wild Scoops is a newer micro-creamy here in Anchorage, Alaska; they make handcrafted Alaskan ice cream with Alaskan products. Renken has been working there since the end of her sophomore year in high school. When Renken turned sixteen she decided that she needed a job and was at the perfect age to start working. When asked why she decided to work there Renken said, “I just turned 16, and I needed the money to buy my own things.” Renken’s grades right now are above average and she hopes to graduate high school on time. Renken’s plans on moving to Utah to live with her grandmother after high school to go to college to get her real estate license. Renken lived in Alaska all her life and is ready to move she says, also she wishes to travel the world when she gets older.

Kameelia Guglani, an 18-year-old senior, also works while being able to keep up with everything that goes on school. Guglani works on the weekends at her home babysitting; she babysits her mom’s co-workers and her nephews. Guglani says, “It’s not hard, it’s actually fun babysitting these kids.” Guglani plans on going to charter school to get her associates degree out of state, because she is tired of the winters and thinks Alaska is boring. Guglani also works at Providence Hospital with her mom sometimes. Guglani likes babysitting more the working at the hospital because she likes being around kids and she has been babysitting the same kids for about two years.

Lindiana Dobrova, 17, works while attending school and still manages to keep good grades in all her classes. Dobrova comes from an Albanian family who are very strict about things. Dobrova started working at the age 16, she was given a job offering by her stepmom to clean inside buildings for her company, Clean Sweep. The Dobrova family also owns the Sicily’s Pizza business.

Dobrova has been working with her stepmom five days a week Monday through Friday; she works more in the summer than the winter. She plans on getting a new job, but will go back to work with her stepmom if she wants to. Dobrova discussed that she plans to stay in state for college but wants to go out of state because she thinks Alaska is boring and she’s been for most of her life.