After the last bell rings, students head to their part-time jobs. While many clock in and report to their bosses, senior Maurice Cruz doesn’t have to. With his own equipment, he heads to his appointment and gets to work cutting the lawn. He’s his own boss.

Cruz decided to make his own line of work and become an entrepreneur.

“I started (mowing) freshman year when I realized my wallet was empty,” Cruz said. “I didn’t have an allowance to fill it, so it was up to me to fill it myself. I began by selling old video games from my childhood and I amassed $300, which was enough to buy a lawnmower.”

By going door-to-door and continuing even after rejection, he was able to make his business “Cruz Control” a reality.

“I passed out hundreds of homemade cards in neighborhoods,” he said. “I started off with three yards and then it built up from there.”

After his first winter mowing, Cruz said he discovered that his workload changes with the seasons.

“The money appeared faster than I could spend it, so I indulged myself,” he said. “When winter came, the grass stopped growing and my wallet starved. I learned from that (experience) and grass and money flourished again.”

Cruz said that having his own business taught him valuable lessons.

“I created my own legacy as an entrepreneur at the age of 17,” he said. “It’s much less about money now and more about how I have gained a work ethic and I am not dependent on others.”