Maritza said when she first went to the site she was given a quick tour and expressed interest in learning to use the cash register. The supervisor misunderstood her interest and thought she was expressing concern. She told Maritza she didn't have to worry about learning to use the cash register. Maritza did not correct her. Despite this misunderstanding, Maritza had another opportunity to display her skills and initiative. One morning when she walked in, two employees were off and no one was available to make the day's soup. Maritza volunteered to make it. When asked if she had ever prepared soup before she said she did it regularly at home. The supervisor told her she could use the recipe book but Maritza declined and made the soup on her own. Carrie found out about this when the supervisor contacted her to praise Maritza. She also said that Maritza had done more than her employees were able to do on such short notice. Carrie glowed with pride when she retold the story. Unfortunately, the pride was short-lived and a week later Maritza decided not to return to the placement. The cafeteria had the potential to be a community of practice but this potential was not fully realized because of Maritza's decision to leave. While there, she was able to perform integral activities, she seemed to be accepted (at least by the supervisor), and she was in a supportive environment.

The coffee shop

Because Hannah's four–year–old son was in the childcare run by the program, she was not able to participate in a placement outside of the school. To accommodate Hannah and a newer student in a similar position, the decision was made to open the coffee shop a third morning without instructors. Hannah and three other students were chosen to run the coffee shop. The instructors first discussed the idea with the students and chose the group carefully. They wanted students who would work well together and wanted to give capable students a greater challenge. After having one of the classroom instructors open the coffee shop, the students worked on their own to set up the counter, prepare the cash, display baked goods, prepare the coffee, serve customers, balance the cash, and clean. After a couple of weeks, they felt they were able to prepare so quickly that they had time enough to bake one batch of muffins. Hannah said, "We also cook because Carrie said, 'You did everything so you can try also cooking.' So we did very well." The only job that was pre–assigned was the job of cashier. The students decided amongst themselves who would do the other jobs. Then they all pitched in to do the dishes and clean because it was agreed these were the least favourite jobs, and they decided no single person should get stuck with them week after week. The only time they called for instructor assistance was when the coffee maker wouldn't work one day. Hannah proudly explained that even the instructor had to get help from the custodial staff because it was a problem that she too was unable to fix.