Business major has 'a latte' be proud of
Between working a 40-hour week and going to school full
time at Montclair State, Marla Kossup likes to relax once in a while with
a good cup of coffee. Finding the time to relax is the hard part. Getting
a good cup of coffee, well, that's easy for the senior business major
who recently was named Starbuck's "Starbuckian of the Year"
for the Upper Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes 100 stores in New Jersey,
New York and Pennsylanvia.
The award was given to Kossup at Starbuck's annual North East Zone leadership
conference in Philadelphia. She was chosen by her peers as a role model
of Starbuck's goals and values by enhancing the experience for employees
and customers.
Manager of the Nutley store on Franklin Avenue since it opened in May
2001, Kossup has worked for Starbuck's since her freshman year, starting
out as a barista at the Upper Montclair store on Valley Road. She soon
was promoted to assistant manager there and then asked to manage the new
store in Nutley.
Kossup resides in Nutley with three other Montclair State students who
also work for Starbuck's. In fact, she said, a majority of the 15 employees
she oversees at the Franklin Avenue store are Montclair State students.
"It's a great place to work," she said. Employees who work at
least 20 hours a week are entitled to health benefits, a free pound of
coffee each week, a 30-percent discount on merchandise, and all the coffee
or lattes they can drink while they're working. "Starbuck's actually
encourages us to try everything," she said.
Kossup also spends a few days a month at the training center in Florham
Park where, as a certified learning coach, she trains and mentors new
employees ranging from high school and college students to retired grandmothers.
"I love people," she said. "That's what makes this job
so much fun."
And it was the people, she said, who attracted her to Montclair State.
"Of all the colleges I looked at, the people at Montclair State were
by far the friendliest and most helpful," she said. "Montclair
State appealed to me the most and I've had a great experience here."
When she's not at work, Kossup is busy at school. "It's like a switch
I turn on and off," she explained. "When I'm going to the store
I'm in work mode, and when I head to campus I flip the switch and I'm
in school mode." She's found, however, that her experiences at work
help her in class and vice versa. "The things I'm learning about
in class I'm applying in my job," she said. "And working has
helped me better understand some of the topics we discuss in class."
Her classes this semester include operations and analysis, business and
society, management information systems and human resources management.
"I'm also taking a bowling class," she said, laughing. "It's
a gym requirement and a lot of fun."
The key to balancing full-time work and school, she said, is organization.
And a grande white mocha also helps.