The first time I say, 'No. I don't like it.' But I say I have to. I've got to try. It's true. I no like it. 'Yes. Can I help you?' No, no, no. I feel very bad. When I go home on the bus I say,'Why I have to say that?' But the next time I feel more comfortable, you know. Then I say, 'Hi. Hello.' You know, go to another step.

Other students connected with Maritza's story and said they also learned to overcome their nervousness while in the program. Rouda said, "You know wherever you go, whatever place you go, just like that, you make friends. Just like that, you talk." Hannah, Stacey, Tom, and Nadine agreed that one of the most significant changes that the employment preparation program helped them to make was to become more confident when interacting with others in both positive and negative situations. Rouda said, "No matter what, you can get along. You can see the person. You can tell that person what they like [and] what they no like…if friendly or not friendly." Hannah and Tom also learned to handle the occasional rude customer without feeling flustered.

The intent of the coffee shop was to create a context of work. It drew upon the procedures of a workplace as opposed to a classroom or a home kitchen. For many students, their experience in the coffee shop was the first time they were exposed to the culture of work in Canada. Trying to create a work setting in a school program has had its challenges. Other students, many of whom ultimately rejected the program, viewed the coffee shop in one of two ways: it was a kitchen and not a work setting that they wanted to learn about, or they saw it only as a work setting and not a setting in which to learn literacy. Despite this, the students who did enter the program and participated in all aspects, have accomplished key 'firsts' in their lives: some acquired their first employment experience; others obtained their first job; and many realized that they could fit into a work setting.