You slowly regain consciousness as the alarm buzzes in your ear. The smell of stale beer and buffet lingers on your body from the 4 a.m. shift at the casino. You quickly hop in the shower, feverishly getting ready for the school day ahead. You grab your keys and sprint out the door with only three hours of sleep to call your own.
Welcome to the everyday life of Park University student Kasey L. Skidmore.
Skidmore, 26, is a junior legal studies major with a full course-load of 15 credits as well as a full work load. From 5 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. she works as a bartender or server at Harrah’s North Kansas City, which is a prominent casino in the Kansas City area.
According to Skidmore, managing the load can be a struggle but she appreciates her education more because of this hard work.
“Because I have to pay out of pocket,” she says. “You have to be able to manage money, life, and responsibility. When you pay for your education, you appreciate it more.”
Skidmore works 40 hours per week.
“I hate that shift, getting three hours of sleep is exhausting but I like to work and I like to learn so it’s worth it,” she says.
“The lack of sleep affects my performance, I tend to procrastinate more, and you have to really prioritize. I’m the one who has to give last call so I give about 30 seconds to down a beer at 3 am. When you mix entertainment and alcohol people get brave.”
Skidmore says her schedule can be difficult to manage some times.
“Yes it’s a hectic,” she says. “I don’t see my friends a lot. If I’m not sleeping its work and school. The way I look it, my sacrifices now will pay off in the future.”
Skidmore says she stays close with her siblings.
“My parents weren’t very giving so I learned from a young age to grow up, no one’s gonna provide anything for me,” she says.
“I’m not really close with anyone in my family except for my siblings, and there are a lot.”
A typical day for Skidmore starts early and ends late.
“Let’s see, I get up for school at 7 a.m.,” she says.
“And I’m at school until 1:30 p.m. then I go home and try to take a little nap and then get some school work done. I try to fi t in a one-hour nap in before I go in to work. I go in at 5 p.m. and either bartend or serve until 3:30. I get home, I sleep, get up and do it all again. Coffee is the most important thing in my life, everyday just goes on and on and on.”
Skidmore says being successful requires “prioritizing and dedication.”
“You have to actually have goals in mind and learn,” she says. “College wasn’t for me eight years ago (when she first attended). Now I have a good sense of what I want and I love to learn.”
A social life is nearly impossible for this full-time working student.
“Social life? What’s that?” she says. “I don’t really have much of one. I text my friends and call them rarely.
My social life isn’t very great. I’m kind of a robot with school and work.”
Skidmore says life should slow down after college.
“It’ll be less,” she says. “I’ll be able to do the things
I want to do. It will be less stressful…I know that this is my right path.
