McDonald's' has made me the person that I am today. The only reason that I am a contributing member of society is due to this fast food chain, and I wouldn't change anything about it. My term of service to that franchise has changed me in so many ways and made me so much better of a person.

Some background real quick. I was about 8 when my parents divorced and I have an older sister, Lexi, who has an eight years over me. When they split she went off to live with my dad and I never really saw her, and it was such a large age difference that we really couldn't bond much. She got a job at one of the local "McDs" and worked there for quite some time. Once I turned 14 and could actually get a summer job, I applied there hoping her or her boyfriend, one of the head managers of the store, could pull some strings and get me in. This was a pivotal point in my life and one of the best days of my life. I was given a job and started working on the weekends. This gave me some much needed money, and in the short term this was awesome! Every couple weeks I got like $250! As a 14 year old this was a fortune. I have been working there since and worked my way up to the position of MIT (Manager in Training).

Recently though, I have been reflecting on the intangible benefits I have gotten as well. When I started I was a shy little chubby kid with no real friends and no real social skills. But working in a service industry, especially in one of the busiest McDonald's in the country, it beats shyness out of you with a stick. Here I am four years later, an articulate man who has no problem sharing his thoughts with complete strangers. This change is huge, and it is one of the best things to happen to me.

One of the conditions of my promotion to management was that I could work the closing shift a couple times a week. But you know who works night shifts at McDonald's? A varied group of people that requires some alternative skills to lead and bond with. I made some of my closest friends on that shift, and I learned how to be one of the friendliest people that the store had seen. I made friends with most of the regular customers, and I was always as chipper as I could be. My personal motto is to be the reason that someone smiles. Whenever anyone came in who looked like they were having a bad day, I tried my best to brighten it. I was often successful, and whenever I did it made my day so much better as well. I now find myself smiling at everybody I see, and it is awesome to think how far I have come in such a small time.

If it wasn't for that glorious place of chaos and grease, I wouldn't stand a chance at college. If it wasn't for McDonald's I would still be sitting in my room playing video games every day, rather than just three nights a week. Because of that store I have become a more thoughtful, more caring and more adjusted individual. I am among the few who can say with pride that I worked at a McDonald's, and that it has changed my life for the better.