By Megan Wehring
BUDA — After receiving an acceptance letter in the mail, many students grapple with one difficult question: How am I going to pay for college? For Marcus Grimes, that question has become a little easier to answer.
Grimes is one of 12 Chick-fil-A restaurant employees nationwide to earn $25,000 in a True Inspiration Scholarship, as part of the organization’s Remarkable Futures Scholarship program, totaling $24 million in scholarships given this year. He is a Team Member at the Chick-fil-A located in Buda off South Interstate 35, where he currently works as a trainer — a position that is rarely given to high school students.
“I wouldn’t say that I was a shy person before I worked for Chick-fil-A,” Grimes explained, “but it definitely grew my communication skills. I feel like I’m more of a people person now, having worked at Chick-fil-A for so long.”
Becoming a trainer, especially at his first job, has educated Grimes about how to be professional in specific situations.
“Having this job has helped me learn how to say exactly what is on my mind to somebody in a nice way,” Grimes said. “Constructive criticism and things like that. Telling someone not that they are doing a bad job but how they can work [to get better].”
Reece Howard, Operator of the Chick-fil-A in Buda, said that watching Grimes over the last year, he learned that younger individuals under the age of 18 can be capable of stepping up to the plate for a leadership position.
“For somebody to make $14 an hour [in high school] is a pretty big deal,” Howard explained, “But I would say Marcus earned every bit of that because of the way he led others. He is really humble in how he carries himself and he definitely values other people and their boundaries. The way he communicates that is in an encouraging and uplifting way but also is really specific to what the job is, hustling and moving quickly in a fast-paced restaurant.”
Howard highlighted that Chick-fil-A values continued education for students.
“Chick-fil-A more than celebrates those who want to continue their education at the college level,” Howard said. “Not everyone is going to get the True Inspiration Scholarship. I think it’s awesome that the Buda area and Hays County had somebody that was selected out of thousands of people that applied and hundreds of stores across the country. That’s truly an inspiration to lead other young people that are thinking about advancing and pursing a college education.”
Grimes encourages his fellow high school classmates, along with generations that are coming up to that age, to step out of their comfort zone and pursue a part-time job while they are hitting the books.
“I would encourage you to get a job while you’re in high school,” Grimes told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. “I think it’s a good learning point, and also the money is a plus, but I think it does a good job in shaping people and seeing how well they can balance the two.”
After graduating soon from Johnson High School in Buda, Grimes will be attending the University of Texas in Austin this fall to study civil engineering.
For more information about the Remarkable Futures Scholarship program, please visit https://www.chick-fil-a.com/remarkable-futures-scholarships.
