This is the third part of a series examining student jobs and the economics of college life.
It's been said that no University of Wisconsin student lets his or her schoolwork interfere with the college experience. For one UW student, balancing work and school has been a way of life.
UW sophomore Kate Holoyda would bashfully call herself a busy little bee, but she said her busy schedule isn't something to complain about.
Holoyda, a Medical Scholar majoring in medical microbiology and immunology and Spanish, works two part-time jobs: one at Johnny Delmonico's restaurant and one at the neuroscience lab at UW Hospital. She also is a coxswain on the UW varsity crew team.
Her involvement on and off campus is rooted deeply in her ability to manage her time and to stay motivated.
"Honestly, I don't mind going to class. I enjoy that, but sometimes the work out of class is hard to do," Holoyda said, following a motto of "just get'r done."
Holoyda said the majority of her income goes toward savings and school. But work has always been more about the experience, she said.
For almost a year, she has worked at Johnny Delmonico's. She began as a service assistant, moved to a busser and has been waitressing since June. Holoyda works a minimum of three shifts a week, about 21 hours, Friday through Sunday nights from 4 to 11 p.m.
"I really like [working there] because it's a break from university life. Don't get me wrong, I like university life, but it's nice to get off campus," Holoyda said.
Working with a large wait staff, Holoyda said she gets a perspective that other UW jobs don't offer.
"It's very cool to get out of student-oriented things. It's more real-world experience," she said.
On the opposite side of the city, Holoyda spends approximately 10-12 hours a week working in the neurosurgery department at the UW Hospital. She works in a lab researching the regeneration of nervous tissue, a job which she applied for as a Medical Scholar and received last year.
"It's a very great research opportunity that I have, and it's something that I'm really, really interested in," she said. "I use my skills from class labs in the lab that I work at."
Holoyda is planning to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate degree. She is currently working on a nerve regeneration project that she designed at the lab.
By working with professionals in the lab, Holoyda has been able to refine her lab technique and work on meaningful research, she added.
"It's nice to get a look into what's coming and to be prepared," she said.
Her extracurricular involvement as a coxswain in the crew team is another area where time management is a necessity.
"Crew is a Division I sport. It's a lot [of] time!" Holoyda said, laughing.
Her time requirement for crew is extensive. She has morning practice from 6:15 to 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, on Saturdays 7 to 10 a.m., depending on football games, and also four hours of solo workout a week, with two hours of weightlifting.
As a coxswain, Holoyda helps run warm-ups and workouts during practice. Her involvement with the team is something she said she especially loves.
The crew team has helped her learn how to read her teammates and see what they need and then direct them to a solution. It is a communication skill Holoyda said she depends on.
Weekend crew regattas can interfere with her other commitments, which she must get a fellow employee to cover.
"It's my choice to work at two jobs and do crew. If I can't handle it, it's my problem. But being involved with my jobs and crew is what gets me up in the morning," she said.
Holoyda said different people deal with different types of stress. By setting her own levels, she faces each day as it comes.
Although her days and weeks are jam-packed, Holoyda said she takes her free time when she gets it.
"I like to run and go to the Farmers' Market, but napping is a big part of my free time," she added. "I may lose some sleep here or there, but I'm having fun."
