She confidently assists a customer in picking out the perfect outfit for a job interview. She knows exactly what to pair together to make her client feel the very best. She works late into the evening while knowing she has an essay due tomorrow. This woman is Stephanie Collins, a manager at the store “Express” and a senior  journalism Major at URI.

 

Collins is extremely successful at her job, starting at the lowest position in the company and moving up to manager in just a year and a half. Collins is able to greet people with a smile and help them find exactly the outfit they are looking for. “Having this job requires that you not be shy and you have to be very comfortable conversing with people in a way that makes them comfortable,” Collins said.

 

Collins could have never pictured herself being confident in doing this job a few years ago. When she was in high school she would spend her lunch breaks in the library doing homework to avoid being around people.

 

Collins had severe anxiety that followed her to college. She had one close friend who didn’t attend URI which made it hard for them to see each other. Since Collins was shy she found it  difficult for her to make new friends. Collins wouldn’t raise her hand in class because she feared that she would be wrong and people would laugh at her. Presentations were one of the biggest challenges for her and she would dread the days that they took place.

 

Collins anxiety really started affecting her grades in college. Most of her classes counted participation as 10% of the final grade, where she would often receive a zero.

 

Collins always had a strong passion for fashion and was determined to not let her anxiety stand in the way of her and her dream job. When she applied to Express she was very shy and was put at the entry level position in the store and would have to sweep the floors each shift. As time went by, Collins’ manager showed her how to do upper level work like filling out paper work and helping customers with outfit choices.

 

Collins said she gets her strong work ethic from her family. She looks up to her father who has always had a job and set a great example for her. Collins job can help her in more ways than one. Her current job can help with her future in journalism because the company has headquarters in Ohio that offers positions for journalists. The position that Collins is interested in is in copywriting.

 

Once Collins got to work the floor and interact with customers she became more comfortable. She realized that people valued her opinion and was able to gain more self confidence. This new sense of self carried over into her school career and helped her come out of her shell. “ I always knew I was capable of so much more in life and this job helped me prove that,” said Collins.

 

Collins started speaking more in class and was less afraid of peoples possible negative reactions. “If I can manage a store at age 22 then I can present a project that I worked hard on to the class,” Collins said. Her grades improved even with the extra work load she carried around her from job.