Alison Kilmer (far left) is the Founder and CEO of Upper Case Tea and The Sisterhood of Tea. Describing herself as an entrepreneur, tea lover, and proud supporter of women’s rights, Alison was inspired by the suffragists, who hosted tea parties to mobilize women around voting rights. Her wonderful teas are sold through a subscription service and 15% of all sales are donated to nonprofits supporting women. Alison is also the boss/coach of two of our teens.
Olivia and Brissa are both sophomores at SVHS, honors math students and have acquired two other passions: tea and women’s rights! They met Alison during the interview process of the 2018 RTW workshops and have been working with her since April. They love what the business stands for – building a sisterhood and empowering women.
They describe Alison as “kind, generous, and very, very smart in business stuff.” When asked what they have learned through the job, they simultaneously responded “know your audience.” They have also learned important people skills and the complexity of the business operation from the selection and packaging of teas to marketing and sales.
You will also see Olivia and Brissa helping out at the Lovin’ Oven. On weekends, Brissa works either with her dad who repairs jewelery or as a cashier at her mother’s general merchandise shop. Being bilingual means she can also help her mother, who provides assistance to others with taxes and legal documents.
Both describe Teen Services as “inclusive, kind, and helpful. They really care about you and want you to succeed in life.” They each found the RTW course invaluable, and Olivia gives complete credit to the interviewing skills learned that enabled her to land a second job as the hostess at the Breakaway Café on Sunday mornings.
And what do their futures hold? Olivia wants to be a professor of either math or engineering and is still exploring different areas of engineering. At the moment, Brissa is unsure about a field of interest, but loves the sciences – possibly marine biology?