By DENIKA DIXON
Contributing Writer
Almost every day of the week there is a cashier on her way to work doing homework on a crowded CDTA bus. This dedicated young woman, Nailah Airall, spends about 27 minutes on the bus before she steps off at Crossgates Mid-Mall. Then Airall is on her way to the “trendy laid back style” store as she described it called Ardene. This is her third job and first one in retail; she does double duty as both a cashier and a sales associate. She once was rolling around delivering food at Sonic and serving burgers at Cheeseburger Paradise, but Airall loves the social environment at Ardene. It allows her to see new faces every day.
“She is so friendly and will talk to anyone,” said her friend Arnae Walton. She has great colleagues that made her feel comfortable right away. She partially can thank her friend Coral for telling her about the job.
Most days at the store are not hectic. She clocks in five minutes early to give her time to find out what she will be doing for the day. She usually helps out around the store until she is placed on register. At the store they sell clothing, jewelry, and shoes. Their top items to go off the shelves are shoes and jeans.
One day, a woman who wanted to return one of their items tested Airall. The woman asked to return a pair of pants without at tag. Airall kindly explained to the woman that it is against store policy to accept a return without a tag; the woman was not happy and asked for the manager. Airall stayed calm and directed her to the manager – even though she would say the same thing. The manager was occupied with another customer and the woman grew impatient. Once the manager spoke to her, and she received the same answer, the woman threw the pants at the manager and stormed off. Airall but didn’t let this woman and her anger affect her professionalism. She feels that working with all types of people can help her in the future.
Airall, 18, is a freshman majoring in forensic psychology at The College of Saint Rose. She plans to become a criminal profiler because she is interested in the minds and motives of criminals. Saint Rose was not her first choice but it worked out because “they offered me the most money and a great forensic psychology program,” Airall said.
Originally from the Bronx she currently lives in Middletown, about an hour and fifty minutes south of Albany. Her moniker “Nugget” comes from her favorite thing to eat – chicken nuggets. If you have seen a girl bumping to music around Saint Rose with an afro and a dashiki on that was probably “Nugget”. She is very in touch with her African culture. She loves to wear the attire and dance to the music. Her mother is from Antigua and has some Liberian roots, and her father is from Dominica. She also enjoys photography. Sometimes she can be found playing a relaxing game of chess or out on the basketball court “popping” and “locking” for the Knightz in Motion hip-hop dance team. She is definitely no plain Jane.
“Nailah brightens up any room she is in. She always has the right mind set and she is empowering to be around,” said her co-worker Cydney Palmatier.
She has five classes this semester and completed six last semester. Working at Ardene has taught her time management and that one can’t do everything in life. She was very stressed sometimes trying to balance her schoolwork, job, and social life. She hated that she would miss parties or nights out with friends because of work. She only plans to work there until the end of the semester because even though she gets $10 an hour, she doesn’t agree with them cutting her hours.
Back home in Middletown Nailah lives with her mom, dad, and brother. She also has two other brothers and three sisters. She is a very family oriented person. Her family is what motivates her in school. One day she plans to be able to provide for her whole immediate family. She has big goals for herself and she doesn’t plan to waste any time.
“Live everyday like it is your last,” Airall said.
