Many students at McCallum have part-time jobs in addition to their full-time jobs as students. Work for students opens up new opportunities, experiences and connections. Students have different reasons for applying for jobs and thoughts on working alongside school.
Junior Thea Clare Brosnan works at Redbud Ice House on Anchor Lane, which opened up in March.
“My uncle’s restaurant Contigo used to be in the space, and I spent many nights there as a kid, so it was a pretty significant part of my childhood,” Thea Clare said. “We had things like birthdays, reunions, and family-friend dinners every Thursday night. The staff at Contigo felt like family.”
Looking towards the future, Thea Clare always thought she would work at Contigo.
“When I was younger I always talked about how Contigo would be my first job,” Thea Clare said, “but unfortunately it closed down during COVID.”
Thea Clare’s mom, Dee Brosnan compared the closing of Contigo to a small scale moving away for their family.
“I watched TC and her sisters grow up in Contigo, seeing her there again with an apron on feels like a real circle of life experience,” she said.
Thea Clare’s younger sister Frances Brosnan, a sophomore at Mac, said the closing of Contigo was sudden, but Redbud taking over was exciting in its own way.
“It was hard hearing that our childhood restaurant was closing,” Frances said. “But, it was exciting to hear that Redbud was opening because we knew it was going to have a similar vibe to what Contigo did.”
Thea Clare was hired on the spot after sharing her connection to Contigo and the dream of it being her first job. According to Thea Clare, Redbud Ice House workers shared it was their goal to have the same family-oriented culture that Contigo did.
“It still holds the same charm that Contigo did,” Thea Clare said. “My managers and coworkers are incredible and have become a second family to me.”
Thea Clare’s family supports her job and her work at Redbud, and sometimes visits her at work.
“I go visit TC at work and seeing her work there now is so crazy,” Frances said. “It is such a full circle moment because we grew up there together.”
In terms of working hours, Thea Clare worked four days a week in the summer, but with school starting now, she only works one shift on the weekends.
“They have been super understanding and have allowed me some time to transition into a healthy school routine without having to worry about work.”
Even though this setup was not exactly what Thea Clare had in mind as her first job, to her it turned out the best way possible.
“Redbud opening made my dream that was lost through Contigo closing possible,” Thea Clare said. “I’ve been with Redbud since it opened and I truly could not have picked a better place to work as my first real job.”
