Before most students can even start their homework. Lin Cooper has already put in hours working with heavy machinery; balancing life with her family’s excavating business, all while preparing to graduate from Oliver Ames High School and take her on field talents to the collegiate level.
Lin Cooper, a senior at Oliver Ames juggles more than people see. Behind the scenes, she is out working late while also going to school. During field hockey season, she is able to handle all three without fail.
“Honestly it depends on the day. For me on Fridays and during the weekend I usually don’t go into work, I try not to because I have to go into New Hampshire. On Tuesdays I usually get dismissed like every other week for work and to go to field hockey earlier. But I think with school if you have communication and find an equal balance with teachers giving leeway with assignments but also getting it done on time.”
A lot of people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of an excavating business, but Lin learned how to get involved right away. She works anywhere from managing social media to hands-on paving with her family.
“I run a crew in Boston or Fall River and I’m like the front desk lady while also being the social media and marketing manager. While I’m in school my days are sorta split. After school we go to look at a couple jobs and give them estimates and then from there around 6 o’clock I end up going to Boston or Fall River depending on where I’m going that night, and I work there until 9:30.”
After high school, Lin will be playing D2 field hockey for Franklin Pierce University. And there she will still be helping out with her family’s business. Although that may seem difficult, Lin can do it!
“I still will be working on my family’s business, especially during summer breaks, and breaks when I’m home. But while I’m in college, I’ll generally just gonna do the aspect of marketing and like media, but both at the same time so more office work than on site.”
Excavating is not easy, but JLJ Services has got you. It takes a certain talent to be a senior in high school by day and a paver by night. At Oliver Ames, Lin might be the only senior who has their commercial license to drive big machinery, but is also a normal teenager who’s just trying to graduate.
“Legally I started driving big machinery in June. People who drive small vehicles always say that it’s hard to drive SUVs, and people who drive SUVs think it’s harder to drive smaller vehicles. I personally learned on big vehicles, so for me it stays the same with driving big machinery so it wasn’t hard to learn.”
Staying motivated during this time of school is key to get through the rest of Senior year. With the juggle of field hockey, school and work, putting aside time for yourself is a great way to get to the end of high school and strive to get to the beginning of college.
“Well, I love to walk my dog and spend time on the beach with my dog as well. And I don’t know, I just like to reset, refocus and clear my mind to stay motivated while things get overwhelming.”
