Local Teen Takes The "Work-Until-You-Get-The-Job" Approach

Some people just daydream about the jobs they want. Others take action, sending in resumes and making follow-up phone calls. But one 17-year-old boy took a totally different approach: just show up and start working.

Last spring, Cameron Stephens set his mind on getting a job at the , so he began showing up (not just on time, but early!) and helped unload produce from trucks and set up tents for three straight weeks.

“I wanted a job,” said the rising junior at Maynard H. Jackson High School, who, despite his bold move, is actually very shy.

“It seemed like a cool place to work. It was [dealing] with food, and I like to eat.”

At the time, East Atlanta Farmers Market manager Judith Winfrey of Love is Love Farm didn’t have a position for him but admired his dedication.

“He showed up asking for a job, and I was in the process of hiring these other youth (with funds from an  grant), so I felt like I didn’t have a position for him,” Winfrey said.

“I told him, ‘You’re welcome to stick around,’ and I hoped that something would work out.”

Stephens did stick around, helping anywhere he could and even wearing full-body vegetable costumes to promote the market in the brutal heat.

“He had this reliability,” Winfrey said.

“It was hot and he worked hard. Not many young people would show up even if we were paying them! We had summer interns who weren’t showing up. It was a very distinct juxtaposition.”

The dedication paid off, and after a few weeks Winfrey gave him a job as a market assistant, making $60 a day. Winfrey’s recommendations and mentoring led to more work, and this summer, Stephens has four jobs: market assistant at the East Atlanta Farmers Market and once a week, working on the Love is Love Farm once a week, and busing tables at .

Stephens admits he’s motivated by the money (but who isn’t?) and has earned enough to buy some substantial things, including transportation.

“I bought a moped to ride to all the places, a cell phone, some new shoes,” Stephens said.

Asked if his friends have jobs: “Not really,” he said.

“I have to say, this has restored my faith in young people,” Winfrey said.

“I was becoming jaded with this young generation, and he’s showed me there are good, hardworking kids out there.”

Prior to working at the Farmers Market, Stephens didn’t have the best eating habits but says he’s eating healthier now.

“His palate has grown tremendously; he’s got much more of a willingness to eat fruits and vegetables,” Winfrey said.

The eating habits aren’t the only positive transformations she has seen.

“We have seen amazing changes. He has gained so much confidence and is more comfortable interacting with people now than when he first showed up. I’m trying to work with him on that shyness so that people know how kind and great he is. He was always a hard worker, but he’s an even harder worker now. You have to work hard and steady in these jobs and he just does it.”

Is farming in the cards for Stephens? Possibly.

“I’ve learned so much. And I like meeting people,” he said.

“All this has made me want to be a farmer.”

If his previous track record is any indication, a farmer is just what he will be.