Hannah Fontaine '21
Concentration: History and Literature
House: Winthrop
Hannah Fontaine is a originally from Wisconsin and works as a babysitter for two different families in the Cambridge area. She has worked with the same two families for almost two years now, since her freshman fall. She works four days per week for a total of 20 hours per week. Before coming to Harvard, Hannah had experience working in both retail and babysitting, so she felt it would be a good use of her time to work as a babysitter while she finds a job or internship in law. She was able to find something that she likes doing and that she is good at, showing that no matter what you are studying there is always an opportunity to find work that one enjoys.
Having this job has taught her how to really manage her time and plan ahead, saying it “forces me to be able to make time for specific things that I want to do,” especially since it is not like an on-campus job or even like an office job because the hours are not at all flexible. Even if she has a midterm or paper or lots of homework in a week, she has to go to work and take care of the kids or has to let the families know far in advance so that they can find another babysitter. Hannah often works 20 hours a week, and it has led to a tight schedule. She usually has to be aware of her time, budgeting time for classes, homework, work, and even leisure time. Next year, she'll be cutting down to working three days a week.
There are some things that she has to miss out on because of her work schedule, but her employers are connected to some who work in the field she may be interested in in the future, law. She has mentioned her interest in law, and they have said they know people at the Law School if she ever wants to get in contact for a potential work opportunity. She recognizes that possible connections can be made even at a job where most people would not think gives connections.