Muhamad holds job at Walmart outside of basketball commitments

From the moment he clocks in to the moment he clocks out, there’s never a dull moment during Pana Muhamad’s shift at Walmart. With the help of his family and friends, Muhamad landed his first job at the large, multinational retail store, where everyday brings a new adventure.

“It’s not like fast food when you go in there and you know what you’re doing, like [you know] you’re going to go cook. When you go into [Walmart], your job is always different. You’re going to go into toys [one day, and] the next day you’re going to go into groceries or truck, you never know,” Muhamad said.

It’s been seven months and counting since Muhamad first stepped foot into Walmart as a worker. During the summer, he worked full time: eight hours a day, seven days a week. With school now part of his schedule, Muhamad only works during the weekend. On a given day at work, some of the tasks assigned to Muhamad include unloading trucks, helping customers, working in particular aisles, stocking groceries and helping out in other departments of the store, all of which depend on the day.

Aside from work and academics, Muhamad works with the boys varsity basketball team as a student assistant coach, a new role created just for him this year. With that title, Muhamad is with the boys at each practice and game, either recording stats or helping with drills and other team needs. Like any other student, Muhamad balances out his school work with his extra curricular activities.  

“Just staying up on a Sunday to do all of my work sucks… On Saturdays I usually get [all of my homework] done, but if that’s not the case, Monday always has advisory and then I have ELT. If it’s an A day, I have a [teacher assistant] block, so I try not to procrastinate,” Muhamad said.

As soon as his paycheck comes in, Muhamad puts it straight toward his new car or college fund. After high school, he hopes to attend James Madison University and major in Computer Science, the subject he finds the most interesting.

“I’m trying to become a computer programmer. It doesn’t really matter where, but that’s just my passion. I like computer science,” Muhamad said.