It's a Wrap

Veronica Rodriguez was so bad at wrapping presents that her mom would turn down her offers to help on holidays and birthdays.

Paper askew, rips and wrinkles, tape everywhere, "it would just turn out horribly," Veronica says. "So I wasn't allowed. If my mom didn't have time to wrap everything at Christmas she'd put them in gift bags rather than ask me to wrap."

Needing spending money at age 18, Veronica put in an application at Macy's department store and was elated when they offered her a job.

Then the manager told her where she'd be assigned: gift wrapping. "They said I would learn," Veronica recalls. Her mother's reaction: "You're kidding, right?"

Not only did Veronica need to learn how to wrap, she had to learn fast, since it was Christmastime. Her first gift was a long umbrella with squared corners, which she wrapped so ineptly that her manager had to redo it.

That happened frequently through the holidays. But by Mother's Day Veronica started to get the hang of it, and by the following holiday season she was one of the reigning wrappers, creating six perfect packages every half hour, which adds up to about 100 in an eight-hour shift. She kept working at Macy's all through college.

In October of 2006 Veronica spotted a notice for a gift-wrapping contest sponsored by Scotch tape and wrote up the essay required to enter. She got in! One problem, though. The contest would be held the first week in December, the same time Veronica was scheduled to take the LSAT exam for law school.

She decided to postpone the LSAT for the contest, and flew to New York to compete against the best. The competitors, judged on speed, appearance and technique, had to wrap a soccer ball, a toy plane and a life-size toy pony.

Veronica won! "I was shocked," she says, and of course thrilled to receive a check for $10,000. With her winnings she bought a laptop, sent $1,000 to relatives in Mexico, and gave her parents a trip to Venice for their 25th wedding anniversary.

What about law school? Well, that new laptop is coming in handy. Veronica, now 24, began San Francisco Law School in August. This holiday season, though, you can still find her in Macy's gift wrapping department, helping out when it's busy. Even her mom goes there now.

Veronica's Tips
1. Have patience.
Some things don't turn out how you predict, but doors will open.

2. Try your hardest.
Put in the most effort possible, and you'll feel fulfilled.

3. Look around you.
Things could be much worse. Remember, life's a gift!