Every student should have the opportunity to work in a student-operated bookstore. Here students not only learn important skills for the workplace but also experience life lessons that they will always carry with them. For me, my experience in the Little Shoppe of Books was a life-altering one.

     The bookshop instilled in me a variety of management skills.  I learned how to manage not only my peers, but I also learned a lot about time management and how to prioritize. I learned a lot about responsibility as well. The student employees are responsible for everything from restocking merchandise to managing the other employees. As a manager, I also learned to deal with the stress of juggling school and work along with handling the day-to-day problems that arise in business.

     The Little Shoppe of Books has had a profound influence on my future career plans. Because of my experiences there, I now want to become a secondary level reading teacher. My senior project stems directly from my involvement with the bookshop.  I worked on the annual school wide read-n-feed and benefited from the opportunity to find out everything it takes to put on such elaborate functions. I witnessed the impact that the promotion of literacy can have on a student. My hope as a reading teacher is to have the same positive effects on students that the Little Shoppe of Books has had on me.

     Even now, as a junior in high school, I enjoy going to the Little Shoppe of Books every morning to do whatever I can to help prolong its legacy. A student-operated bookshop is much more than a store. It is a marvelous learning tool for students in business and life. For some it could be a life-changing experience leading to a career path never before imagined. How fortunate I am to still be involved in something as wonderful as the Little Shoppe of Books.