MQ's Guide: From Passion to Paycheck
Written by Lauren Kreiser photos by Ben Philabaum
Times may be tough, but that doesn’t
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NICOLAS WINSTED
Job Title: Intramural Flag Football Referee
One clever Miami student has found a way to make money watching games, well at least flag football games.
"Basically I get to watch the games and make any necessary calls on the field" he explains.
Winsted says he heard about the job through his girlfriend, who is an intramural supervisor. But, this job isn't necessarily as easy as it sounds.
"Sometimes its gets heated, people get really into the games and become violent, and I have to break them up. I understand their frustrations, but it's my job to step in" he says.
Winsted says the best part of the job is being around other people that enjoy football.
Winsted is a sophomore Sports Studies major and is pursuing a minor in coaching and history. Upon graduation he plans to pursue a coaching career in college football.
LESLIE COEN
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Equestrian
As a child you might have asked for a pony for Christmas. Most of us never got the pony for Christmas or aspired to be competitive horseback riders. We just watched "My Little Ponies" or read "Mystie of Chincoteague" one too many times. Then there's Leslie Coen.
Coen, a Miami senior, has been an equestrian rider since she was three years old. Recently she has found a way to turn a profit from her lifelong passion.
She is employed at the Miami University equestrian center as a student assistant. She does a variety of work around the barn.
"I do a wide range of things from horse maintenance and care, daily up-keep around the barn, and offi ce work" Coen says.
She finds the job especially rewarding because she is able to combine her passion for riding and training horses in her daily work.
"There's always a new challenge and I get to work with amazing people and incredible animals that give constant rewards through their affection and appreciation" Coen says.
Coen is a junior psychology and family studies double major at Miami, and plans to get her PhD in psychology after school. Her ultimate goal is to start a program to help high risk and disabled children grow communication and life skills by teaching them how to ride and care for horses.
DIANA KROLL
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Botany Research Student Aide
For those of us who have to write one, the word may cause a spontaneous anxiety attack, or just chills down the spine in anticipation of endless nights of writing and days of research. While even the word "thesis" has come to be feared by many undergraduates, one student has turned this potential nightmare into a money maker.
Diana Kroll is getting paid to do research for her thesis.
"I work in a botany lab in Pearson. On a day to day basis I take care of any lab maintenance, such as dishwashing and pipette filling. I also conduct my own research on the CLPS5 gene in Arabidopsis," Kroll explains.
She will use this research in her honors thesis. Not only is she conducting research, but she also enjoys her time in the lab.
"It's a relaxed environment, with flexible hours, and I work with very supportive and entertaining graduate students," Kroll says.
Kroll is a junior zoology and environmental science double major. She plans to attend veterinary school after she graduates and believes this research will help her in the future.
"This experience is basically genetics research, whether you do it on plants or animals it develops a way of thinking that veterinary schools find valuable" she says.
This summer Kroll will continue her work in the lab under the Howard Hughes internship. She will receive a stipend totaling $3,000 for independent research, and says she plans to use some of the money to take a road trip with her friends this summer.
KATIE YOUNG
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eBay Vendor
But how many of us have harnessed the potential profitability of the web? One Miami senior, Katie Young harnesses the power of eBay to make some extra cash on the side.
"It is a nice supplement money maker when cash is tight," says Young. "I use eBay to sell my books at the semester and then to buy new ones, I started doing it after first semester my freshman year and have actually made money rather than spent money overall on books." She also uses eBay to buy and re-sell North Face jackets. "During the winter, I bought new North Face jackets through eBay when the price was cheap and then re-sold them when the demand went up and usually made about $30 bucks for each coat" she says.
Young has also used eBay to help generate money for Phi Delta Epsilon, Miami's pre-med fraternity. Recently she sold tickets to a Nickelback concert she won on the radio and donated the money to the frat's philanthropy efforts.
Young is a senior zoology major and management minor, who will enter medical school next year.
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