Crazy About Ethan

In a time when young people are preoccupied with their phones and other forms of screen time, I give you Ethan. A favorite teammate at our Cyber Quest at Treasure Island location in Welch, MN, Ethan is a breath of fresh air, a throwback, or in our opinion, an ideal teammate. He shows up for work on time and ready to play. He has an easy smile, makes eye contact, and is consistently warm and approachable. Most surprising of all, during our visit, he expressed to us that he came to Cyber Quest as shy and “on the quiet side.” Of course, his popularity contradicts that claim, so we decided to dig a little deeper.

Mom Knows Best

Put quite simply, Ethan likes his job. When asked, he readily admitted that he can become bored easily—but working at Cyber Quest changed that.  If you ask him why he’ll say, “The best part is the people. I like talking to them and helping little kids play when they’re in the arcade.” Pretty incredible coming from a reserved guy whose mother took the initiative to fill out his application and nudge him toward his interview. “My mom worked at Cyber Quest first, and she thought I might like it and that I should apply. Working here has been good for me, I’m more confident and better at trying new things.”

A Family Affair

While Ethan serves families at Cyber Quest, his mother and two sisters care for children at Kids Quest. An approach not unlike the family created by members of the Kids Quest/Cyber Quest team nationwide.  As we lunched together on pepperoni pizza, Ethan’s first thought for the leftovers was to box them up and share them with his family members working down the hall at Kids Quest.  Yet another example that shows being generous with his time, his energy (and his pizza) is second nature to Ethan.

Ethan’s Ladder

One of our favorite activities for featured team members is called a “Fish Bowl” interview. On our visit with Ethan, we filmed him while he answered a smattering of fun questions. One such question for Ethan was “If you could be an inanimate object, what would you be and why?” Without skipping a beat, he responded, “A ladder, so I could help people reach the top.” How fitting for a young man with a goal to provide great guest service and to help families have fun while making Cyber Quest memories. As of now, Ethan has been promoted to lead teammate, but we feel this young man is something special and on his way to the top, one happy guest at a time!