casperoa@lopers.unk.edu

Since Trenton Harbur was young, he always looked on the bright side of things. Now he implements this outlook while working at Chick-fil-A, and UNK students notice.

Before he started shining behind the counter, Harbur adopted his positive personality from his parents. They taught him to always try to find something good in every situation.

“The worst thing could happen, but they would still be happy about life,” Harbur said. “We call it the ‘Harbur luck’ actually. Harbur’s luck is basically like Murphy’s Law — anything that can go wrong will probably go wrong. We just got to keep moving on.”

Harbur also feels that all the events leading up to where he is today are another reason why he is passionate about being positive. He started playing football in fifth grade, so when it came to making the decision to play in college, it was a no-brainer. 

He started his career as a freshman at Fort Hays State before transferring to UNK for school and football.

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Harbur found it hard to stay focused on school, so he made the decision to drop out. 

In March of 2021, Harbur found himself sitting in the Nebraskan Student Union five to six hours a day, trying to figure out what to do with his time. He felt as if his questions had been answered when his old boss and friend, who he had worked with at Kearney’s Apple Market, found him sitting alone. She was now the boss at Chick-fil-A, and she offered Harbur a job. 

“She saw me in the Union one day and was like, ‘What are you doing just sitting there not doing anything?’ I was like honestly, I don’t know,” Harbur said. “Then she just offered me a job, and then the rest is history.”

Harbur worked in fast food since his junior year of high school, but back then, he claimed to hate it. Now his favorite part of being a Chick-fil-A leader is interacting with customers throughout the week.

“When I dropped out and was working on finding myself and who I was, I found myself working at Chick-fil-A and figured out I love talking to people,” Harbur said.

Harbur makes an effort at work every day to create a relationship with each customer and put a smile on their face. His efforts are recognized by his co-workers.

“He’s always bubbly and seems to never have a bad day,” said Tiffany Shultz, Sodexo retail manager. “He knows almost all of the kids’ names. It’s amazing to hear that. And every time our coordinator comes in, he just raves, and he would love for Trent to be in Chick-fil-As world all over the place.” 

Previously, Harbur also had the chance to spend a summer in Pennsylvania as an intern at Southwestern Advantage. While selling educational materials to families, he also learned more about himself and how to live a positive lifestyle. 

Being alone in a different state, taught him more than any other situation in his life. 

“I learned the importance of always keeping a positive attitude, no matter what’s going on,” Harbur said. “I also learned the importance of positive self-talk. You are your own best friend, especially in the middle of nowhere for 14 hours a day, when you know absolutely no one.”