Jax L., Takahashi Market

Most weekends, Jax L. ’28 spends her mornings wrapping around 300-400 freshly-made musubi, or packaging poke in the kitchen of Takahashi Market. 

She’s been working at the family-owned and operated San Mateo specialty grocer since the summer before freshman year—devoting her weekends to fulfilling seven-hour shifts. Takahashi Market was founded by Japanese immigrant Tokutaro Takahashi in 1906. The Asian-Hawaiian store offers a variety of hot food and poke, as well as regular grocery store items, with ingredients flown in from Hawaii weekly. Over time, Jax found herself not just working at the store, but becoming part of the community that frequents it. 

“I feel pretty good when I’m like, ‘oh hey, Will. Mochiko chicken today?’ It’s the best when they’re regular customers and I start knowing their name,” she said. “Being a part of [that relationship is] special because these people are really familiar with this store and they have a history with it.”

Small moments like these enhance the warm culture of the place, shared by customers and also the employees. One of Jax’s favorite parts about her job is working with her coworkers, many of whom are teenagers who live nearby. 

“[Initially] working with strangers was daunting, but now it makes [working] more fun. If a customer is being funny, we experience it together—or if we’re on dishes together, that’s bonding, because it’s kind of rough,” she said. “There’s a really good atmosphere within the employees, [and] that’s made it really easy for everyone to feel comfortable.”

Emily M., Pied Piper Players

Emily M. ’26 path to getting a job was unexpected. 

Having acted in a variety of shows for the community theater Pied Piper Players since fifth grade—most recently as a nun in The Sound of Music—they were excited to volunteer as a teaching assistant for a weekly improvisation class. However, only two weeks in, the lead teacher unexpectedly left, and Emily had to step in to lead a dozen elementary and middle schoolers alone. Two months later, they were officially hired. Now, they teach improv and serve as an assistant director for performance-based classes.“When I started doing theater, I was pretty nervous. The idea of stepping out and doing crazy things was terrifying,” Emily admitted. “But part of [getting over] it is that I started recognizing that people took me on the same path that I’m now getting to take these kids on. Getting to lead them through that journey has been really cool and given me both the motivation and the energy to keep going.”

Now, one of Emily’s goals as a leader is to maintain a space where the students feel safe and supported enough to express themselves fully. 

“[Leadership’s] more than just being able to get a group’s attention or get them all to stand in a circle. For me, a big part of it is listening to them, forming connections with them, and making them feel [like] they have a community to fall back on,” Emily said.

Isabel Q., Starbucks

Sometimes, working at Starbucks can feel like a fast-paced blur. To Isabel Q. ’26, though, that high-speed rhythm is part of the experience. Isabel has worked at the Hillsdale Mall location since August, often spending 15 hours a week preparing coffee and working at the cash register. For her, one the best parts of the job comes down to her co-workers. 

“They make the day better when I’m starting bright and early. Their energy brings my spirits up,” Isabel said. “Just working with them, communicating with them, [and] learning about their lives is definitely an enjoyable part [of the job].”

With so many Starbucks locations around San Mateo county, it was the team culture at Hillsdale that ultimately drove her to apply. 

“The team at the place that I was applying [to] had great energy, so I was very open to joining that. [I’d be] challenging myself and gaining independence,” she said. 

Amid the rush of coffee orders, Isabel has learned invaluable life skills: the ability to balance competing responsibilities, and the ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds. 

“[In the past], I’ve only ever worked with people my age and students in a high school environment,” Isabel said. “But now I’m working with people who are far older than me. [I’m] learning to connect with them, but also be professional and make friends in that environment.”