When you are 16 and seeking employment, you will have to do the inevitable; fill out a job application. Undoubtedly this is probably one of the first times that a person will complete any sort of paperwork alone. I was pretty excited about the whole process, earning money that wasn't based on chores or report cards.
I first applied at a tire shop. I know it seems like a strange place for a teenage girl to want to work. But Fast & the Furious had just come out, and I thought I'd meet a Paul Walker lookalike. Despite the assortment of ordinary people in the lobby, I sat down to complete my first job application. Name, phone number, address, gender, race... Not sure which box to check, I skipped ahead and finished the rest of the application. Then I decided to ask the woman behind the counter.
"All done?" she asked.
I explained my confusion about the race question, probably gave her too much information. But clearly she was the expert; after all she had a job. "So what should I do?"
Her confused look made me believe that she had given this a lot of thought.
"I would check Pacific Islander since that matches your skin tone."
Right. I pretend to check a box, hand her the application and walk away.
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