Haylee Romanelli, a senior at Greater Latrobe Senior High School, works hard for her grades and any possession that she has bought with her own money. While being a full time student, she also has a job. Some high school students have a job, but Haylee goes above and beyond with her independent personality by working long hours, multiple days a week to earn what she has today. 

She has made her own path on her own to get where she is today with her strong willed spirit.“It’s a good thing I’m independent at this age because it prepares me for my future. My mom taught me how to make choices for myself and it has only ever benefited me,” Romanelli said.

When Coronavirus arrived, Haylee did not stop her work ethic and made sure to work even harder with more hours because she worked for essential businesses that still needed her employment during that difficult time. “During quarantine, I was getting around 40 hours, now that school is back I get around 30, because I’m only 17 and you can only work so much,” Romanelli explained.

Haylee drives herself to her job in Greensburg from her home in Latrobe which can add some stress of getting home late from working long hours and having to go to school early in the morning the next day. “I work at Texas Roadhouse in the back of the restaurant where I cook and prepare the food,” Romanelli said. “ It gets stressful getting home and having to complete work for school in order to be caught up, but it would be more stressful not having a job because I need to pay for groceries and my car,” Haylee added. 

Haylee has had a great work attitude since she was younger. “I’ve always had a work ethic that was attained from my family. Everybody in my family works hard but I started babysitting when I was 13 or 14 and when I turned 16, I worked a year at the restaurant and I’ve been working almost a year at my current job,” Romanelli said. 

While Haylee balances work and school, she also plans what she wants to do for her future. She makes sure her school work is completed well in order to keep her grades up so she can further her education.”I do plan on going to college. It’s a goal that I’ve always had,” Romanelli said. 

Haylee is invested in her education. She makes sure she does whatever it takes to be at school to stay up to date with her subjects.”School is very important to me, it might sound nerdy but up until last week, I’ve never missed a day of school since eighth grade,” Romanelli said. “I’ve never liked not being there and having to make up my work the next day and not understand what’s going on, so it’s important I understand what’s going on,” she added.

Moreover, with working all those hours, Haylee is able to earn her own money so that she can buy what she needs which includes her investment in her car. “I love earning my own money, I would love to feel bad taking it from my family or whoever. I don’t want to seem unappreciative, so earning my own money makes me feel like I’m doing something good,” Haylee explained.

Haylee Romanelli is a student who handles the responsibility of being a student while having a job at the same time. She enjoys what responsibilities that have been brought to her with these tasks that bring her such independence at a young age which she plans to keep for the future as her as a new chapter is about to begin.