As the pre-11:10 a.m. Gelbucks crowd awaits their mobile orders, Liv Ruggiero gleams as they prepare a “Medicine Ball” drink, made of Jade Citrus Mint tea, Peach Tranquility tea, steamed lemonade, hot water and honey. 

Ruggiero knew they had to get the drink right — Medicine Ball drinkers are the most loyal of anyone to their go-to Starbucks orders. They’re one of many student baristas at GW who have to deal with long hours and complicated drink orders to get students their caffeine fix. Three student baristas said aside from the ires of peddling coffee, their jobs have led to them to become a part of the cultural centers of GW life and be some of the only constants in the lives of their fellow students. 

Ruggiero, a junior studying political science, said they worked at the Gelman Library Starbucks for six months last academic year and started working again about five months ago. They said managing the job with school is “definitely a lot” because the Gelman location is open until 9 p.m. on weeknights, but the long hours make it easier to fit work into their schedule around classes. Still, they said the sound of typing from focused students in Gelbucks can remind them of all the essays they have to write as they instead fuel the late-night study sessions of their peers.

“It basically just feels like an extension of Gelman, like people just kind of hang out there and do work, but I’m just like ‘Ugh, I wish I could be doing my work right now,’” Ruggiero said.

Ruggiero said working at Gelbucks has helped them find a sense of community at GW — they are currently rooming with another student they met through the job. They said their coworkers are like “one big family,” despite some being Starbucks veterans and others new on the scene.

“It’s definitely a hodgepodge of people,” Ruggiero said. “We have some people that have been with Starbucks for 20-plus years and then a bunch of students. So it’s just very interesting to see like people’s life experiences that aren’t GW students but whose lives revolve around this campus. It’s just awesome.”

Ruggiero said student customers can be overly demanding, even when they get what they ordered. Ruggiero said they were recently yelled at by a customer for their cappuccino having “too much foam,” despite the recipe for the drink demanding one-third steamed milk.

“I said ‘why’ because it’s a cappuccino and then her girlfriend was like ‘Oh my god did you just ask a customer why, like I can’t believe you would ask her why. Like that’s so rude and ridiculous,’” Ruggiero said.

Ruggiero said aside from all the free coffee they drink — particularly their go-to latte with one pump each of hazelnut, white mocha and brown sugar syrups — during their shifts, their favorite part of being a barista is getting to see all their friends and say hello to them throughout the day. Plus, Ruggiero said they love “breaking the fourth wall” with customers and getting to know them by checking in on how their day is going since those interactions allow them to feel more involved in campus life.

“I just feel like Gelbucks is such a cultural center of campus, and that’s crazy to say that I work there,” Ruggiero said. “But you know, there’s always something going on, and it’s just so crazy and cool to work there.”

Miranda Mata, a senior studying international affairs and management information systems, said she has worked at Peet’s Coffee in District House since her first-year fall semester. Mata said she chose to work at Peet’s because it was close to her first-year residence hall, Lafayette Hall, and since she already was a regular customer, she knew she could save a buck by working there.

“I also came here a lot to buy drinks, and I spent all my GWorld money here,” Mata said. “I knew that employees got free drinks, so that was my motivation.”

Mata said the 25- to 30-hour workweeks on top of being a full-time student made her first two years at GW difficult. But she said the limited free time helped her maximize the minutes she did have to stay locked in on all her responsibilities.

“Definitely sophomore year for me was the hardest, freshman year, too,” Mata said. “But after a while, honestly, I have really good time management skills because of that, and whenever I don’t work, I honestly feel like I’m wasting my time.”

Mata said customers can often be rude, ordering a drink without saying hello or responding when she asks how they are doing. 

“Last year, some guy came in and literally stole our tips. He asked for a cup of ice, and when I turned around, he reached for the tip cup,” Mata said.

Mata said although being a barista can be stressful at times, she has become close friends with many of her coworkers and has found what she considers to be “her group” on campus. Mata said since many of her coworkers are also students, their managers lets them leave for class and come back to work later in the day, making it easier to balance school and working as a barista.

Anna Krantz, a senior studying criminal justice and psychology, said she has worked at Peet’s for two-and-a-half years. Krantz said she likes keeping busy and working as a barista on campus has helped improve her time management because she has to balance classwork and a job. 

“I have always done really well with a super full schedule,” she said. “So I kind of took my freshman year to just enjoy school and just adjust to college, but obviously, my sophomore year I needed to work,” Krantz said.

Krantz, whose favorite drinks to make and sip on are horchata cold brew lattes and London fogs, said her coworkers at Peet’s have become some of her closest friends, and she has even lived with one of them. She said she admires all of her coworkers, who are mostly students, because it’s a challenge to work and be a full-time student.

“Working here has given me the opportunity to have this really close-knit group of friends, which is something that’s really special,” Krantz said.

Krantz said people think being a barista is an “easy job” because it only involves making coffee and ringing up customers. But in reality, her gig involves far more than just standing at a counter. She said baristas, especially those who are working in conjunction with school, should get more recognition from customers than they do because of the long hours they work and the commitment they have to their job.

“It’s always nice when people recognize me, or they’re like, ‘Oh, you made my coffee, and it’s really good,'” she said.

Mehek Lasker contributed reporting.