March 29, 2024
By KAREN HAYNES – May Yousif, a first-year public relations student, has pledged to go cashless until May in an effort to earn a summer internship at MasterCard.

By KAREN HAYNES

A cashless future is on the horizon, or so says May Yousif, a first-year public relations student at Conestoga College.
Since the end of March, Yousif, 22, has explored the idea of a cashless society and has pledged to remain cashless until May in an effort to earn a summer internship with MasterCard. Her creative internship submission is centred on her cashless campaign and restricts her from spending any tangible money until May.
“Getting a job isn’t as easy as it used to be. I’ll go cashless until I get the internship.”
Having created a blog, Cashless Girl in a Big City, and regularly tweeting her successes and cashless challenges, Yousif has encouraged others to join her and go cashless for 48 hours.
As her Twitter followers join the cause the tweets have poured in.
“Paid for my cab with MasterCard last night,” wrote Taylor Seaton, one of Yousif’s Twitter followers on March 30.
On April 3, another follower, Ganesh Nambiar wrote, “I used my Starbucks app for my coffee, forgot what coins looked like.”
No longer spending her nickels and dimes, Yousif has also forgotten.
Unable to use a coin-operated, self-serve car vacuum or make a purchase at a “Cash Only” baked goods sale, Yousif said going cashless has at times been difficult.
“I had to walk away from a cash only bake sale. I’ve never had to do that.”
As her blog and Twitter feed is abuzz with activity, MasterCard has also taken notice. MasterCard Canada follows 287 Twitter feeds and Yousif is one of them. All of the positive feedback online and support has been really overwhelming, she said.
With one week left until her internship submission is due, Yousif remains on her cashless track.
Securing the internship of her dreams, however, is priceless.
Follow Yousif online at www.twitter.com/#!/mayyousif or www.mayyousif.
tumblr.com.