Tiffany is 20, I am 21 and John is 22. We are all young students with more things in common than we might have imagined. But sometimes it is hard to realize our similarities when the counter and the cash register are between us on a stressful Tuesday morning in Trinity Cafe.

Our short conversations during my regular visits to get a daily dose of caffeine, however, have made us closely acquainted—even friends. Talking to John and Tiffany has given me new insights into what it means to be a Duke employee—particularly what it means to be a young employee and a student at the same time.

For one thing it is not easy. To balance a part-time job and full-time enrollment in an educational institution is difficult to handle, yet possible if one is organized with one’s time, so they tell me. Tiffany, a Durham native, is enrolled at Durham Technical Community College in the licensed practical nursing program in order to become a nurse, and later a midwife, as she has always wanted. She tells me that above all, she wants to work with babies or little children and to make the most of what she considers to be her best quality: “I’m a caring person; no matter who it is, I care about them.”

On the other hand, John’s interests lie in the music industry and radio. Growing up in Atlanta until the age of 12, he developed an immense love for the city that makes him want to go back, at least in his long-term plans. Currently, he attends North Carolina Central University and is pursuing a degree in mass communication. Apart from his job and studies, John works at a music studio with his friends in Durham and performs once in a while. In fact, he and a friend were the musicians who opened Purple’s activism concert in September.

John and Tiffany are extremely busy all the time—just as anyone who works part time at Trinity Cafe would be. The two of them applied for the job twice, and the reason why they didn’t get it the first time was because they weren’t enrolled at any educational institution. They said that one of the conditions to get a part-time position at Trinity Cafe is to be a student. And they both told me they really appreciate this requirement, because it is a way to encourage young people to study—as it was for them—and for students who have a hard time finding part-time positions to make some extra money.

When I asked them how they found their job so far—Tiffany just started this semester and John started a year ago, though he has been working at Duke since he was 16—they both said they like it a lot. “Of course you deal with a rude person once in a while, but that’s fine,” John said. For Tiffany, the only negative aspect is that people perceive her to be older: “They tell me ‘thank you Ma’am,’” she says to me while laughing, “and I hate it. I’m only 20!”

And it is exactly Tiffany’s remark on perception that triggered my interest in writing this column. I was curious to hear how young employees perceive Duke’s student body, and how they feel they are perceived by their customers, who are mainly students. To be honest, I was expecting a little bit more drama or tension, but I gladly discovered that the overall dynamics between students and young workers—at least in John’s and Tiffany’s experiences—have been rather smooth and that they have really enjoyed the experience. As Tiffany described while laughing, “every day is funny.”

I was also pleasantly surprised to find that we have a great amount of common interests that I would not have otherwise known unless I had taken the time to talk to them after their shifts. As young students, we are all constantly thinking about our homework, sleeping enough, having fun and most importantly, about our futures, how to achieve the things we desire most and keeping in mind the people that we care about the most.

All in all, these wants are the same on both sides of the counter.

Andrea Patiño is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Tuesday.