The reminders of responsibilities are written on envelopes, posted in the dining room of Tanya Ramsey’s apartment.
Rent. Electric. Water. Heating. Cable. Sewage and trash. Car insurance. Cellphones.
Additional Photos
The obligations can be daunting for an adult working full time, let alone an 18-year-old high school senior. But Ramsey is already skilled at managing her monthly budget while juggling a job, the demands of senior year and plans for college.
“I definitely have learned how to budget and to prioritize,” she said. “I like living on my own and paying my own bills. It makes me proud that I’m able to do it.”
Ramsey’s path to graduation has been different than many of her peers at South Portland High School.
Her mother died unexpectedly when Tanya was 12, from asthma complications.
“It was just me and my dad at that point. For a girl not to have her mom, especially at that age, it was very difficult,” Ramsey said.
Money was always tight. When she turned 16, Ramsey applied for a job at the McDonald’s restaurant near the Maine Mall. She wanted to have some spending money to go to movies, the mall and the beach with friends.
Six months after getting the job, Ramsey was promoted to crew chief, and six months after that she was promoted again, to shift manager, a position she still holds. During the school year she worked between 20 and 30 hours a week, and has worked fulltime in the summer months.
“It was definitely hard senior year,” she said.
Kathleen Tremblay, Ramsey’s guidance counselor at South Portland High School, said Ramsey is mature beyond her years. She has maintained a solid B average and took additional math and science courses.
“Tanya is remarkable in that she has a sense of perseverance and independence that I don’t see in a lot of 18-year-olds,” Tremblay said.
Ramsey lived with her father until last October. She now lives with three roommates at an apartment in Scarborough.
She dreams of becoming a registered nurse. “I definitely want to attend a four-year college, probably USM,” she said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
