Over the fear of Language by Cooper

Over the fear of Language by Cooper - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

I’ve worked at Publix since June of this year. One thing I’ve known about Publix- both from starting to work there, and before- is that they value customer service. To me, customer service is ensuring that your customers leave the store feeling better- in any way- than they did when they came in. It’s something that everyone in every area of the service industry should find themselves actively striving for, and the dedication to it is perhaps the greatest pillar of every successful store and business. Publix being perhaps the most famous example in the south.
One particular instance that sticks out to me regarding my performance of customer service was with this one woman in particular. She was elderly, and so I began first by offering to empty the cart for her. She nodded, and as I was unloading she said to me,” I am sorry, my english [is not good].” I obliged her, wishing to make her experience as comfortable as possible.
-Todo esta bien, es preferible si puedes entenderme.
-Ay, hablas espanol?
Now, I appear quite pale skinned, and have absolutely no familial connection to any nation where Spanish is the dominant language. I started learning it about last November, and haven’t stopped, only working to improve until I can eventually reach fluency.
-Bastante, I responded.
-De donde eres?
-Nueva Jersey
-En serio?
-Si, es cierto!
My phrases are not perfect, but I work to ensure she can understand me, which it appeared she did.
I finished unloading her cart, and went back to my bagging area whilst the cashier I worked with began ringing up each item. My particular cashier that day was the only other woman with whom I had spoken Spanish with before this. She was French, but moved to Colombia, then to Nicaragua, then to Mexico, and eventually to Florida. She had no issue helping me out, and inspired me to continue speaking without fear.
So the three of us engaged then in a pleasurable dialogue of the passing of the day, and what the three of us have done throughout it. I caught quite a bit more, and was surprised by my development in the language. When I had packed the cart completely, I asked her, puedo ayutarte afuera? She said yes, and we walked out, continuing to speak as best as my vocabulary permitted. The walk was very fun, and I found myself overjoyed to have me serving this individual in a way that also contributed to my own learning. When we arrived at the car, I helped put it all in the trunk, and I thanked her very much for speaking with me.
-No tengo la oportunidad de hablar en español muchas veces. I said to her, and she responded in a way I understood to mean - I am glad that I could help you! It was from there we parted ways, and I walked back to the store with the total contentment of having improved someone’s experience, as well as fulfilling something that I have wanted to do for so long! I learned not to be afraid of trying to do something new, with this experience being the apotheosis of that for me.