My Summer After High School
My Summer After High School
Hello! This is the story of the time I moved 221 car miles away from all my friends and family (except for Aislyn).
The night I graduated was a night to remember. Graduating top 7% of my 350+ class, a GPA of 4.2, fireworks going off as we tossed our caps, and 2016 hits playing in the background was pure happiness to my 18-year-old self. Do not get the wrong impression though. I worked hard to keep my grades up, but probably not as hard as I could have. I was happy with having As and Bs, and did not see a reason to drive myself crazy if I happened to get a B or a C. I did however drive myself crazy if I got any lower than that, which only happened in my dual enrolled trigonometry class. I still had time to have a job as a cashier at the Carousel Supermarket on Front Beach Road, still had time to hold a leadership position in my high school marching band, and still had time to hangout with my friends and family during my free time. As much as I loved living in Panama City Beach and being around the people I loved, I was ready to GET OUT.
Like I said, I chose a university 221 car miles away from my hometown. Just three days after my graduation ceremony, I packed up the car with anything I could fit in it. I had my clothes, books, dishes, towels, my full-length mirror, my bed, blankets, pillows, and…sadness? I was so excited to embark on this new chapter of my life, but as I was saying goodbye to my siblings and my dad (my mom was going to drive in front of me), I teared up a little bit. Okay...I definitely cried. I was so focused on what was ahead of me, that I forgot to cherish was little time I had left as part of the Webb household.
So, teary-eyed and everything, I got into my car and drove the full four hours and eight minutes to Auburn’s campus. Once we got into Auburn we stopped at the Guthrie’s on Glenn and had ourselves some yummy chicken fingers. I could probably eat a whole family size bucket of strips by myself, but I just got a snack pack and headed on over to what would be my first apartment (well, duplex).
Upon arrival, a street fight broke out right next door to my new home. We quickly got out of our cars and went inside to check out our new home. It was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex. After the noise of arguing and screaming died down, we went back to our cars to start bringing in our stuff. When our neighbor who was involved in the fight saw us, she apologized and said that she was kicking out her old boyfriend while moving in the new one.
What. A. Crowd.
Within the next few days Aislyn and I had everything organized and just how we wanted it. Folding chairs and tables in the living room, one of those long white portable tables in the dining room, and a small television on the floor. Perfect for our first three months. We were only subleasing the duplex until August when we could move in with our other cousin, James. Our moms left us by the second day and proceeded to laugh at us while we waved them goodbye from our front window.
Our purpose for moving to Auburn so early was to find full-time jobs so we could qualify for residency by the summer of 2017. Being out-of-state was going to be expensive, and both of our families agreed that if we were to attend Auburn University, we would have to receive in-state tuition. I am going to spill the beans on how to beat the system. One, move to your desired state for college ASAP. Two, have everything put into your name. This includes rent, cable and internet, gas, power, trash, and water (it also includes your car as of 2018). Three, obtain a driver’s license from that state, as well as a voter’s registration card. Finally, four, the most important, have a full-time job for a whole year. That was the hard part for us. We spent about a whole month, maybe it was only three weeks, looking for jobs. I was amazed at how hard it was to find a place to hire us! I had previous work experience at a grocery store, and Aislyn had previous work experience in retail. Every place one of us applied, we told the other so they could apply too. We finally received a call asking for an interview from a retail store called Kinnucan’s. We were oh so happy. Both of us were interviewed and hired on the same day.
During my short time at Kinnucan’s I was promoted to team lead, in other words, I could ring people up. Shortly after I was hired at Kinnucan’s I received a phone call from the manager of Chick-Fil-A in the Auburn University student center. Kind of odd, as I had applied to the Starbucks in the student center, but I took it.
So, for about a month and a half I worked two part-time jobs. I worked at Chick-Fil-A from seven in the morning to two in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then I would switch uniforms and work at Kinnucan’s from three in the afternoon to nine-thirty at night on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. So, I was working forty-nine hours a week. Which was fine with me because I either needed one full-time job or two part-time jobs to fulfill my residency requirements. I finally ended up quitting my job at Kinnucan’s so I could work at Chick-Fil-A full-time when the fall semester started. Only after throwing out my back and having the doctors question my life and truthfulness (that is a story for another blog, stay tuned).
In short, the summer after I graduated was not some big celebration. I was working hard for what I wanted, and I eventually got it! Hello, hello, in-state tuition!!!
Hello! This is the story of the time I moved 221 car miles away from all my friends and family (except for Aislyn).
The night I graduated was a night to remember. Graduating top 7% of my 350+ class, a GPA of 4.2, fireworks going off as we tossed our caps, and 2016 hits playing in the background was pure happiness to my 18-year-old self. Do not get the wrong impression though. I worked hard to keep my grades up, but probably not as hard as I could have. I was happy with having As and Bs, and did not see a reason to drive myself crazy if I happened to get a B or a C. I did however drive myself crazy if I got any lower than that, which only happened in my dual enrolled trigonometry class. I still had time to have a job as a cashier at the Carousel Supermarket on Front Beach Road, still had time to hold a leadership position in my high school marching band, and still had time to hangout with my friends and family during my free time. As much as I loved living in Panama City Beach and being around the people I loved, I was ready to GET OUT.
 |
| June 1st, 2016. Graduation Day. |
Like I said, I chose a university 221 car miles away from my hometown. Just three days after my graduation ceremony, I packed up the car with anything I could fit in it. I had my clothes, books, dishes, towels, my full-length mirror, my bed, blankets, pillows, and…sadness? I was so excited to embark on this new chapter of my life, but as I was saying goodbye to my siblings and my dad (my mom was going to drive in front of me), I teared up a little bit. Okay...I definitely cried. I was so focused on what was ahead of me, that I forgot to cherish was little time I had left as part of the Webb household.
So, teary-eyed and everything, I got into my car and drove the full four hours and eight minutes to Auburn’s campus. Once we got into Auburn we stopped at the Guthrie’s on Glenn and had ourselves some yummy chicken fingers. I could probably eat a whole family size bucket of strips by myself, but I just got a snack pack and headed on over to what would be my first apartment (well, duplex).
 |
| This was the driveway of our duplex. We moved our cars in the road so I could practice. |
Upon arrival, a street fight broke out right next door to my new home. We quickly got out of our cars and went inside to check out our new home. It was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex. After the noise of arguing and screaming died down, we went back to our cars to start bringing in our stuff. When our neighbor who was involved in the fight saw us, she apologized and said that she was kicking out her old boyfriend while moving in the new one.
What. A. Crowd.
Within the next few days Aislyn and I had everything organized and just how we wanted it. Folding chairs and tables in the living room, one of those long white portable tables in the dining room, and a small television on the floor. Perfect for our first three months. We were only subleasing the duplex until August when we could move in with our other cousin, James. Our moms left us by the second day and proceeded to laugh at us while we waved them goodbye from our front window.
 |
| Left to Right Aislyn, "other cousin James", me |
Our purpose for moving to Auburn so early was to find full-time jobs so we could qualify for residency by the summer of 2017. Being out-of-state was going to be expensive, and both of our families agreed that if we were to attend Auburn University, we would have to receive in-state tuition. I am going to spill the beans on how to beat the system. One, move to your desired state for college ASAP. Two, have everything put into your name. This includes rent, cable and internet, gas, power, trash, and water (it also includes your car as of 2018). Three, obtain a driver’s license from that state, as well as a voter’s registration card. Finally, four, the most important, have a full-time job for a whole year. That was the hard part for us. We spent about a whole month, maybe it was only three weeks, looking for jobs. I was amazed at how hard it was to find a place to hire us! I had previous work experience at a grocery store, and Aislyn had previous work experience in retail. Every place one of us applied, we told the other so they could apply too. We finally received a call asking for an interview from a retail store called Kinnucan’s. We were oh so happy. Both of us were interviewed and hired on the same day.
During my short time at Kinnucan’s I was promoted to team lead, in other words, I could ring people up. Shortly after I was hired at Kinnucan’s I received a phone call from the manager of Chick-Fil-A in the Auburn University student center. Kind of odd, as I had applied to the Starbucks in the student center, but I took it.
 |
| One of my first days at Chick-Fil-A |
So, for about a month and a half I worked two part-time jobs. I worked at Chick-Fil-A from seven in the morning to two in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then I would switch uniforms and work at Kinnucan’s from three in the afternoon to nine-thirty at night on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. So, I was working forty-nine hours a week. Which was fine with me because I either needed one full-time job or two part-time jobs to fulfill my residency requirements. I finally ended up quitting my job at Kinnucan’s so I could work at Chick-Fil-A full-time when the fall semester started. Only after throwing out my back and having the doctors question my life and truthfulness (that is a story for another blog, stay tuned).
 |
| At the AFC in Tiger Town while still in Kinnucan's uniform |
In short, the summer after I graduated was not some big celebration. I was working hard for what I wanted, and I eventually got it! Hello, hello, in-state tuition!!!
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