The epitome of college life, it is what many of us grew up seeing on television shows and movies, seeing what it's like to be a college barista. The hipster, beanie wearing barista at your local Starbucks that serves you your 'venti cappuccino with extra foam and soy milk' (just having to type that made me cringe so badly). Luckily, I'm not that stereotypical barista; just your local Manhattan barista at a local coffee shop just trying to earn some money and save up for graduate school (the loan, my god the loans).

I got this job only 6 hours after my father died, yes you read that right. The same day that he passed away, I received the email that I was given the position. I still like to believe that he way him looking over me, letting me know that everything was going to be okay and that he was looking after me.

ANYWAYS, back onto a more positive note; One week after some training and meetings, I was given my store location and was sent off to go meet my new manager and coworkers.

Here is where things get a bit funky, my social anxiety. All my life, I have suffered with social anxiety; from making new friends to participative in class, any action that involved me having to start or even converse with someone who I did not know led to tomato faced me with a heart rate that could probably outrun Usain Bolt in the 300m race. I wasn't even able to make my own friends in high school, my one best friend since the second week of freshman year was introduced to me after I sat down at the lunch table and some girl started talking to me after seeing how uncomfortable I was in that social situation.

The first couple of weeks, even the first two months of this jobs were the most difficult times for me, having to learn the skills to a whole new job I had no background in, as well as meeting new people, both customers and coworker, was all to much for me in such a short amount of time. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I had to run to the back to calm myself down and not pass-out from the overwhelming anxiety I was facing.

My social skills and social queues were less than none, eye contact was not a thing to me and starting a conversation was a foreign concept to me. Most baristas are outgoing, bubbly, friendly and welcoming; and here I was anxiety ridden, tomato faced handling customers for 8 hour shifts on a given day. You can only imagine the amount of anxiety I faced in the beginning. It would be so bad, I would go to bed with high levels of anxiety, anticipated the next day and what it was going to entail.

It's been 6 months since I began working, never in a million years would I have thought that this job would be my one ticket in helping me with this 'setback' that had held me back from so many aspects in my life. It wasn't until I had to give a presentation in class that I realized how much easier it had become to talk in front of a crowd. From not being able to even open my mouth and raise my head to look people in the eye to getting up in front of a class of around 30 to give a 15 minute presentation; I would say that this is a HUGE milestone for me. No, my social anxiety is not cure nor do I ever think it will, I still fluster up at points and struggle to begin conversations with people; it have become a lot easier to participate in class and voice my opinion that I have been holding in for the longest time.

You know that feeling when you wanna say something SO BADLY that you get so flustered and feel an anxiety attack coming on because of it? That used to be me, it sometimes still is but it's not as bad anymore.

While it may be seen as the epitome of jobs a college student could have, it opened a new door for me that I never thought could happen. It helped me with my social anxiety and helped me be able to communicate better with people, I'm able to hold a conversation with someone without shying away in a rush to leave the awkward situation that I have created in my head.

I still have one more year at this job before I move onto graduate school, who knows, maybe I'll learn something else new about me. A lot can happen in 365 days.