Writers for Fifteen Minutes spent, well, 15 minutes with student workers across campus. Learn where Harvard students make money, and why they do the work — manual, menial, and occasionally, quite meaningful — that they’ve been hired to do.

FM’s Hottie Tries Pilates: Harvard Recreation Instructor

ree Pilates classes in the Mezzanine of the Malkin Athletic Center is certainly one of the more obscure benefits of being an enrolled undergraduate at Harvard College.

On Friday afternoon, Clara C. Thiele ’28 effortlessly guided me (and a dozen or so women of all ages) through the pretzel contortions and glute-burning exercises that comprise a bodyweight Pilates session. Recalling instructive utterances like “pulse, pulse, pulse” and “imprint your spine into the mat” now inspires painful recollections of my astonishing inflexibility.

Thiele, an economics and social studies concentrator in Lowell House, is a former professional ballet dancer. She obtained a Pilates teaching certificate as a freshman and then asked Harvard Recreation about teaching a Pilates class. By sophomore spring, she was leading regular Pilates sessions for Harvard affiliates.

After a semester of Pilates, Thiele also got certified to teach a weekly spin class. “My favorite regulars are elder gay men because they love the music and they love getting hyped to my 2010 throwback songs,” Thiele tells me after class in Lowell Courtyard.

Thiele currently teaches a spin class and a Pilates class each Friday, earning $45 per class. “It’s pretty good supplemental income for not a huge time commitment,” Thiele says, adding that she effectively “found the cheat code” in being paid to work out.

—Associate magazine editor Andrew W. Shlomchik

Mic’ed Up: Athletics Game Host

or some people, the perfect job simply falls into their lap. That’s the case for Avani B. Rai ’27, whom I follow around on Oct. 3 as she hosts Harvard Crimson football’s first home game of the season against Colgate University.

As a sophomore, Rai, a Crimson News editor, was given the opportunity to emcee at the freshman orientation pep rally. Her performance stood out to members of the Athletics Department, who reached out to her about becoming a game host for sports teams such as football, basketball, and ice hockey.

By winter, she had begun what would become a three-year long career. Rai, originally ready to jump into this job for free, now gets to do what she loves for a tidy $30 per hour alongside full-time coworkers, who bring hosting and emcee expertise from the Bruins, Celtics, and more. Each game, Rai introduces the team members, announces various prize lotteries and raffles during breaks, and most importantly, gets the crowd on its feet and cheering.

Rai says the job has given her a behind-the-scenes look at Harvard Athletics, showing her all the “planning and thought and preparation that goes into making every single game a unique student experience for everyone that’s attending,” she explains.

“Honestly, this job doesn’t feel like work,” she says. “I get to spend a couple hours just having the time of my life.”

—Magazine comper S.I. Lara Jayanti

Child’s Play: Tour Guide at the Harvard Art Museums

or Ricardo Fernandes Garcia ’27, the Harvard Art Museums has always been a fixture of his college experience.

Garcia joined a humanities and arts research program in the summer after his freshman year that worked with the Harvard Art Museums. He was hired his sophomore year as one of the Museums’ 25 student tour guides. Garcia and the other guides are given the opportunity to create their own tours — Garcia’s tour, called Child’s Play, focuses on three pieces that reflect children’s games or toys.

Guides are paid $17 per hour, but Garcia says he’d do the work for free. His one-hour tours on Saturdays bring a wide variety of guests — from Harvard students to wandering tourists to Cambridge residents who never thought to stop by the Museums before, he says. He leads the group through a range of pieces — including a Winslow Homer painting depicting two children on a farm in the Civil War era and a 1931 painting of a nutcracker and various children’s toys. (Garcia explained the symbolism reflected the rise of German nationalist militarism in the years preceding World War II.)

Garcia, a Quincy House resident who studies Art, Film, and Visual Studies and History & Literature, says working at the Harvard Art Museums has offered him a “wide and interdisciplinary lens into how museums operate.”

“Frankly, being a tour guide at the Harvard Museums is my favorite thing I do on campus,” Garcia says. “It’s my favorite thing ever.”

—Magazine writer Megan L. Blonigen

Mostly Matchas: Barista at Café Gato Rojo

hilipos Alebachew ’29 joined the team at Café Gato Rojo last semester with a head start: back home, he worked at both a matcha bar and coffee shop. And yet, he still wasn’t prepared for the lines out the door, nearly all of them for matcha. The student-run café in the basement of Lehman Hall serves a campus that rarely slows down.

For Alebachew, an electrical engineering concentrator, the Café was an immediate fit. He describes the training as a “quick turnaround,” and finds management to be accommodating to students’ busy schedules. Baristas typically work two to three shifts a week for $18.50 an hour. Those shifts are rarely dull, and with the Café’s high traffic, shortages are routine. “There’s pretty much always something we’re out of,” Alebachew says.

Alebachew’s co-worker, Zaid M. Al-Ississ ’28, has worked a range of campus jobs since his first year: a Sanders Theatre usher, a Math 1a course assistant, and a BRIDGE Fellow at the Engineering School. For Zaid, what sets Gato Rojo apart is its community-centered environment. “It allows me to be social and interact with a lot of members of the Harvard community in ways that some of the other jobs didn’t,” he says.

At Gato Rojo, authenticity is paramount. Its menu and seasonal specials are guided by student input, which Al-Ississ says shapes the vibe of the Café. “It’s basically run by students, for the students, and I think that type of environment is one that I feel very comfortable working in,” he says, “and it’s one that I think the clientele really enjoy as well.”

On your next visit, Alebachew and Al-Ississ recommend the chai and oat milk cappuccino.

—Magazine comper Mia M. Kwong

Best Seats in the House: Sanders Theatre Student Usher

magine seeing the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma ’76, and American Crossroads: A Solstice Celebration”, all free of charge. No, the “One-Wish Willow” did not monkey pawed all of these events to coincide in your dorm room. You, like Julia M Bol ’28, work at Sanders Theatre as an undergraduate usher.

Since she took the position freshman spring, Bol has seen many events held in the historic wooden walls of Sanders. From Harvard alumni stepping back on campus to graduating classes taking their final bows, Bol has helped direct and seat many a horde of guests.

In many cases, Bol also gets to be part of the audience. Once a show begins, most ushers simply remain in the crowd — identifiable only by their black-and-white uniforms (Bol opts for a black dress and white blazer combo). But during a “changeover” shift, ushers tend to the stage between performances, swapping out props and instruments using a lift that lowers center stage into a storage space beneath the theater. The 1- to 2-hour changeover shifts can fly by without a moment to spare.

On the other hand, performance shifts — which extend well before the show begins and after the lights come up — can be many hours long and run until nearly midnight. Still, ushers have the freedom to choose when they work (Bol prefers earlier shifts because she tends towards an early bedtime), earning an $18 hourly base pay. Bol may direct the audience to their seats, but rest assured, she has the best one in the house.

—Associate magazine editor Valerie I. Ogboi

Becoming a Better Tourist: Campus Guide for Trademark Tours

ometimes, the destination is the people you meet along the way. For Noah G. Plattner ’27, that seems to be the case. As a campus tour guide, Plattner greets visitors from around the world to share a glimpse behind Harvard’s ivy gates.

Plattner started giving tours three years ago on referral from a friend, who recommended it as a good job with flexible hours. Student tour guides for Trademark Tours earn between $15 and $22 per hour for public or private tours, in addition to tips, which vary in amount.

But he has found his role to be far more enriching than just the salary — especially because of the life skills he’s developed through his position. “English is not my first language, so I thought it was a fun way to practice public speaking a little bit,” he says. He adds that being a tour guide is great training in how to relate to people in a short period of time.

And learning that skill often comes with a tangible reward: “You can sometimes get $200 worth of tips for a single tour,” Plattner says.

Plattner also loves the questions tourists ask because they “come into Harvard with a completely different perspective compared to you.” On occasion, they even serve as a model for him. “I’m like, hey, such a nice person. I want to be more like them. I want to be that type of tourist when I visit other universities.”

—Magazine comper Annika N. Krovi

A Linguistic Paradox: Receptionist at the Language Resource Center

he Language Center is a paradox. Despite it being the hub for modern and ancient language courses, front-desk assistant Daphne E. Green ’30 says the center contains surprisingly few linguistic utterances.

“It is so quiet,” she says, “because a lot of people don’t know where it is.”

Tucked in the basement of the Science Center, it supports both professionals and students in their linguistic endeavors, offering pedagogical training, opportunities to practice speaking, and a multitude of community events. A weekly calendar might hold discussions in Uyghur and Irish, conversations on AI use in language courses, or even yoga in Spanish.

For Green, the Center’s Language Exchange Program is what stands out: “It’s an opportunity for one-on-one informal language practice,” she explains, “where you’re paired with someone else who speaks a language that you’re seeking to learn, and then you speak a language that they’re seeking to learn.”

Just as the Language Center is designed for bustling linguistic traffic, Green works as its crossing guard: reorienting wandering visitors and directing students and teachers to resources. The persistent quiet has accustomed her to the comfort of her swivel chair. “It’s very comfortable, spend a lot of time in it,” she says.

Nonetheless, Green sees her expanding role as an opportunity to increase the center’s visibility: “I’m excited about the ambassador part of it, because I like languages and I want more people to know about the language center,” she says.

She doesn’t know what ambassador-ing might entail, but as fellow color-surnamed American writer Rita Mae Brown reminds us, language “tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

It seems we can only talk again to find out.

—Magazine comper Camila E. Carreon

A Niche and Underground One-Stop-Shop: Dorm Crew at Harvard Yard Ops

or Mathia Kalash ’28, Harvard Yard Operations is all about the people.

Harvard Yard Ops is home to an eclectic assortment of home goods, cleaning supplies, tools, and a growing number of Owala water bottles in every colorway imaginable. A shift at Yard Ops involves sitting behind the desk and anticipating the needs of students and staff alike. Keys? Check — lots and lots of them in one cabinet. Toilet paper? Check — and you can even score a Swiffer if you know who to ask. Lost and found? Check — which explains all of the Owalas.

Kalash, a chemistry concentrator on the pre-med track, joined Yard Ops her freshman year with one goal in mind: “Um… to make money.” Now, despite it being her lowest paying position at $15 an hour, this shift is Kalash’s favorite of her three jobs on campus. The excitement, Kalash explains, comes not from the day-to-day tasks but from the unique interpersonal interactions that Yard Ops facilitates.

“I think this job made me love and appreciate all the workers on campus that have been here long before us and way after us,” Kalash says. Sometimes, though, interactions veer from the everyday to the positively absurd: Kalash once received a request for a large tub and a water hose to create a DIY ice bath in the Matthews Hall shower.

It was, Kalash says, “the funniest thing ever.”

—Magazine comper Leah E. Riegel

Balance and Flexibility: Harvard Dance Center Receptionist

hrough the glass doors of the Harvard Dance Center, I see Yvette P. Nyamhere ’28 — one earbud in, working on her laptop. As soon as she hears the door open, she lifts her head and greets me with a large smile.

In between her three astronomy courses and a seminar on scientific writing, Nyamhere has made time in her schedule for her job as the dance center’s front desk clerk.

This is Nyamhere’s third year on the job. She currently works Tuesday nights for $18 per hour. She started as a substitute during her freshman fall and was offered a permanent position that spring. She was interested in having a job that would not only give her some financial independence, but teach her skills she’d need in future workplaces. In particular, Nyamhere says she “wasn’t very comfortable” with her communication abilities, and she realized that as a receptionist, she would “have to interact with people.”

​“I wanted to put myself out there,” Nyamhere says.

Working as the receptionist also inspired her to take a dance class for the first time. This semester, Nyamhere is taking a Gaga movement course — a sensation-based dance style — from Harvard’s Theatre, Dance, and Media department.

​The flexibility of working the front desk is one of Nyamhere’s favorite parts of her job. She has managed to balance the expectations of customer service alongside maximizing her productivity at her post in the lobby.

When I ask Nyamhere what her least favorite part of the job is, she pauses for a moment before recalling the 22-minute walk between the dance center and her dorm in Kirkland House.

​“I guess the only con is that it’s kind of far,” Nyamhere says.

—Magazine comper Waad M. Dafalla

Trust the Process: Course Assistant for LS50

imothy P. Guan ’27 thinks that sometimes, the most valuable tool for learning in a science class is faith.

Guan has been with Life Sciences 50: “Integrated Science” for as long as he’s been at Harvard — as a student when he was a freshman, and as a course assistant the following three. The 16 credit hour class spans two semesters and covers material from biology, chemistry, computing, math, and physics. (The website promises it’s not a “year-long hazing ritual.”) For particularly thorny topics, Guan says he tells students to believe in the general principle and to trust that they will be able to understand the mechanics later on.

Guan works 12 to 16 hours each week for about $23 per hour, and his duties include reviewing course material, hosting office hours, and running a CA-initiated “coding bootcamp” for LS50-ers. Even when he’s not working, Guan routinely runs into his students around campus, and, once, at a flea market over the summer.

Taking LS50 freshman year was a leap of faith for Guan in itself: he had been a history kid and planned to concentrate in History of Science. But his high-school mentor — the “Master Shifu of my history study,” he says — encouraged him to try his hand at intensive science courses. The rest is, well, biology.

Guan, who is now studying Applied Math on the Biological Sciences track, says his CAs were integral to a fantastic LS50 experience, and still counts many of them as mentors. He felt taking on the mantle was part of an “obligation to give back,” and it’s an obligation he loves.

“It’s a very reliable source of happiness for me to sit down with a student for 20 or 30 minutes,” he says, “and then just see the ‘aha’ moment.”

—Associate magazine editor Megha Khemka

Jack of All Tours: Peabody Museum Guide

ome people are a jack of all trades, but Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology tour guide Vanessa A. Grant ’28 is a jack of all tours.

Besides her work at the Peabody, she also leads tours of Harvard Yard and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. A double concentrator in Human Evolutionary Biology and Social Studies, Grant has always taken classes at the Peabody. Becoming a tour guide, however, gave her a deeper appreciation of what the museum has to offer.

Grant’s tour walks visitors through select displays from the Peabody’s collection of over 1.2 million items. The tour also highlights the history of the Peabody museum and its practices: how they’ve obtained the items in their collection, how they create replicas for museum showcases, and how they conduct ethical museum stewardship of objects. Due to the sensitive nature of the exhibitions at the Peabody, guides memorize a script of the tour created by the museum. That doesn’t mean each tour is the same: each guide creates their own embellishments and learns to think on the fly.

Beyond the benefit of a $17 per hour paycheck, working as a tour guide also lets Grant frequent her favorite exhibits, including the Latin American stela on the third floor and the Tlingit totem pole on the first. The best part, though? Museum perks.

“I get a discount at the gift shop. There’s fun things there,” Grant says.

—Magazine writer Jona P. Liu

Time to Check Out: Lamont Front Desk Staff

or many undergraduates, entering Lamont Library at 9 p.m. is a foreboding sign of impending deadlines and upcoming assessments. But for Michael F. Bido ’27, it’s just another shift at work.

Bido secured his position at the front desk of Lamont in the spring semester of his freshman year, and he’s spent 2.5 years there since. Bido enjoys being the “friendly face” where students can seek comfort (or a MacBook charger) during long study sessions. Starting from a base salary of about $16 an hour, each year he’s worked at Lamont has earned him a 50-cent pay raise.

Most of Bido’s shifts are fairly straightforward: answering questions, loaning out chargers, and, thanks to the unlimited loan limit, sometimes helping check out suitcases (literally) of books. Lamont offers staff the flexibility to select any number of hour-long shifts each week.

“Lamont is obviously a central space at Harvard, so it’s cool to work here,” Bido says.

And the job is in high demand. For any hopeful Lamonsters, Bido suggests reaching out to staff managers at the beginning or end of the semester. “They fill up really fast,” he says.

—Magazine comper Sophie Y.S. Chong

Harvard’s Visitor Hub: Smith Campus Center Student Ambassador

or Caroline G. Perkins, a second-year Divinity School student, working at the Smith Campus Center is a convivial way to unite people from all walks of life in their curiosity about Harvard.

Perkins was drawn to the job because of its flexibility. Students at the visitor center work eight to ten hours a week, in shifts that are one and a half to two hours long. At the front desk, they check in visitors for tours and answer questions — most commonly, as a couple who approaches Perkins demonstrates, where the nearest bathroom is.

Perkins works as a graduate student coordinator, a liaison position between management and undergraduate workers. But while she helps with scheduling and data management, she also does the tasks of an undergraduate worker: staffing the front desk and running tours. Perkins is paid $21 per hour, while undergraduate pay starts at $17.50 per hour and increases every two semesters of work.

On tours, Smith employees guide groups of visitors, sometimes more than 50 at a time, through historical locations such as Wadsworth House, George Washington’s headquarters during the American Revolution, and Grays Hall. Tourists get a glimpse of Harvard life as students zoom by on electric scooters or walk robodogs with their friends.

Back at Smith’s visitor center, Perkins sells self-guided tour maps in nine different languages. “My favorite part is seeing just the amount of people that are able to come through here in a day, a week, a month,” Perkins says, “meeting so many different people from quite literally around the world.”

—Magazine comper Victoria X. Woo

Retail Therapy: Harvard Shop Cashier

group walks into the shop. One wears a blue sweater with a black visor perched on her head. Another wears sunglasses, her hair cut into a sleek bob. Three more customers trail behind them.

“Welcome in.”

From behind the counter, Saron Elias ’29 watches as the group wanders through the store — picking through merchandise on the shelves and flipping over price tags. When they finally arrive at the register with their selections, she scans each item and begins folding. First, the sleeves in. Then the body of the hoodie folded into thirds, then half again, the hood tucked neatly inside. She places the finished bundle into a signature red “H” Harvard Shop bag and slips the empty hanger into a nearby rack already stacked with them.

For Elias, the job is a steady stream of these small tasks. She helps customers find what they are looking for, answers questions about the store, and occasionally, points visitors towards the nearest public bathroom. As the store gets busier, she scans merchandise at the register while simultaneously directing another customer toward the fitting room.

Elias’ shifts are usually around 3 hours, but she can take on more or fewer depending on how busy the store is and what her schedule allows. Being a student always comes first.

The scanner beeps. A credit card slides through the reader. Another receipt disappears into the signature red bag. A new customer approaches the counter.

—Magazine writer Anne Sun

The Art of Conversation: Front Desk Worker at the History of Art and Architecture Department

was only planning to spend about 15 minutes with Lauren J. Mitchell ’28, but 45 minutes later, we’re still talking behind the front desk of the History of Art and Architecture’s department reception on the third floor of the Arthur M. Sackler Building. She and Professor Joseph L. Koerner, chair of the HAA department, are deep in a conversation about her plans to study in Vienna in the spring.

To fund the trip, Mitchell, a junior HAA concentrator, is working five jobs this semester. In addition to the HAA front desk, she has two positions at the Harvard Art Museums (visitor services and filing for the Division of European and American Art), babysits, and works for Dunster House.

Mitchell works three shifts per week at the HAA desk (the most relaxed of her five jobs), earning about $16.50 per hour. Apart from restocking the work rooms and kitchens with coffee and pens, Mitchell is tasked with helping professors with the humdrum business of scanning and printing books and materials. Between tasks, she chats with professors and staff, whose offices are near the front desk, about everything from “KPop Demon Hunters” to the US Open.

“I definitely have friends that do this job that are very locked in on their homework when they’re here,” Mitchell says. She says it’s a very social job for her because she’s often the one starting conversations.

—Magazine writer Maria Borrell Ferrero