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01 Aug 2022 | Cheryl Ng

Michel: Writing A New Chapter

As we walked through the doors of Sarnies, the echoes of laughter was what hit us shortly after the smell of coffee. At the counter stood Michel, smiling, and laughing with his customers, his positive energy could be felt a mile away. He may look like your friendly neighbourhood barista, but there’s more to Michel’s story. Interestingly, Michel finds being a Barista working at Sarnies “stylish and cool” and is often amused when he leaves people in awe as they ask about what he does for a living.

As we watched Michel joke around with the regular customers at Sarnies, it felt so natural to see him at work, as if he was meant to do this. To a random stranger, it’s almost impossible to tell that Michel once struggled with what he wanted to pursue after his National Service. Back then, he had no clue of which career path to pursue, and he was most certainly not a coffee enthusiast. Nonetheless, he decided to take the first step and gave Bettr a shot.

THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
“It was better than staying at home and doing nothing.”

Though hesitant at first (partly because he wasn’t a huge fan of coffee), Michel was pleasantly surprised when he learned beyond practical coffee skills at Bettr. Up to this day, Michel vividly remembers what he was taught during his EQ training with our trainer, Suyin. 

In his line of work where he often finds himself in sticky situations, EQ training definitely came in handy as he would find himself in instances where he has to stop and think, before reacting. 

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“I never had the thought of giving up when I took the course." 

No doubt, Michel deserves a pat on his back for his tremendous growth over the past few months. His growth was clearly evident, especially to his friends and family. 

From not having a concrete plan to waking up at 5am daily and even arriving to work early for his duties, Michel’s mother certainly feels proud of her son, and recognises the positive change in him as well as his burning passion for his line of work. Seeing how his eyes glistened with excitement as he spoke fondly about working at Sarnies, we’re equally happy for him too.

FROM AWKWARD EXCHANGES TO BREWING SMILES
“I was a little awkward at first” … “Right now, we’re close like a family.”

Although Michel was plagued with uncertainty in the beginning, he was optimistic, open to new opportunities and willing to learn. As he recalled, in his first few weeks at Sarnies, it felt awkward making conversations with his co-workers. However, after four months of working at Sarnies, Michel happily regards his team as his family. Michel also feels like he is in his element at Sarnies and found himself more dedicated than ever to his job. 

However, what was most heart-warming was when we asked Michel to describe one of his more memorable moments at Sarnies, to which he replied, “Every day is memorable because I have fun and I look forward to work every day”.

As we wrapped up the chat with Michel, he mentioned rather sadly, that he would be assigned to work at another outlet in the coming month. Though he will miss his family at Sarnies, Michel remains open-minded. We at Bettr, are proud of how far he has come, and we wish Michel all the best in his future endeavours.

Keen to write your new chapter with us, just like Michel? Enquire to find out more about our social programmes.