Many people can relate to transitioning from school and homework every day to work every day. This slight transition makes a huge difference. For me, going from spring athlete to professional within a few short weeks made all the difference. Just like every spring, I prepare for lacrosse and expect it to be the coldest day possible when we are playing. Unfortunately, most the time it is unbearably cold when I am expecting it to be warm because of the sun. Every year I make the same transition, but it's slightly different than the previous. Each summer the job changes, therefore the wardrobe changes. I went from my “uniform” being sweatpants and a T-shirt to professional clothes.

I started going back to work a week after I finished finals. The biggest adjustment was going from wearing cleats, T-shirts and sweatpants every day to dresses, skirts and heels. During season, my hair was up in a messy ponytail and stayed like that until I was able to change it. For work, it has to be nicely styled, sometimes hairspray and makeup are included. During lacrosse season, I never wore it unless I was going out for a very special occasion. Now? I wear makeup every day to work and make sure it's perfect daily. The biggest adjustment was transitioning from tennis shoes and cleats to heels and sandals. Now it almost feels weird for me to wear shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes when I am not playing lacrosse. I like relaxing just as much as the next person, but I am finding more comfort in my dresses and skirts than I do in my practice attire.

My current favorite job, of the three, is my internship. My internship is through ibella BEADS. I love my internship because I love being able to wear all of my nicer clothes and jewelry to work and have people ask how to make the jewelry I am currently wearing. I have yet to learn how to recreate what I am currently wearing, but I know it won't be long before I am able to proudly say I am wearing a “Rachel Original.” The one set of jewelry I, personally, made was for my mom before my cousin’s wedding. My mom is the reason I got the internship I love and arranged for me to meet the owner. I decided to make my mom a pearl and Swarovski crystal necklace and bracelet set as a thank you. If it were not for my mom meeting the owner of ibella BEADS, I would not be working there. Even though I have only been there since the end of June, I love this job more every day. I love learning all of the different techniques when it comes to learning how to repair and create jewelry. I also love being able to help customers piece their creations together and help them decide what I think would work best with what they are trying to envision. The other day I designed and created my first necklace for a customer. Seeing how much faith they had in me doing a job was a huge honor to me for me being so new in the jewelry business.

My work attire has helped me in the professional world because I have learned how different companies want their employees to represent them. I have learned that between the two internships I applied for, the dress uniform was very different. My practice clothes have made me better on the field because I represent my team by wearing Missouri Baptist University Lacrosse clothes. Whether it is a jacket, T-shirt, or hoodie, I am always wearing something lacrosse-related when I am on the field.