Ben Barber has taught me that perfection is not a requirement for success. When trying something new, I want to be perfect. When doing things I have done before, I try to be perfect. When I first came to Ben Barber, I wanted to be perfect. The thing about Ben Barber and CTE is that there are a lot of amazing and talented kids in each field. This means the chances of you walking in and zooming to the top without any experience is unlikely. That is the case everywhere, you need training and help in order to learn new things. Even though I did not come in with all of the knowledge I thought I did, Ben Barber made me feel like it was OK to make those mistakes. If I did something wrong, I was not scolded it, as a matter of fact, I was commended for trying and then giving an opportunity to correct my mistake. The teachers and staff gave me the training that I needed to succeed. It is also pretty cool because that understanding attitude is found all over the school. My first class in Ben Barber was Spanish. The classes I am in now are culinary classes. Even though Spanish and culinary are on two totally different ends of the spectrum, I was still taught with the same amount of respect and care in both classes. Before Ben Barber, there had never really been a time I had felt completely comfortable in a class. I was always stressed out or on edge, but Ben Barber gave me an opportunity to relax and learn in a welcoming environment. Because I felt so safe in class, I joined after school club for culinary. This club truly changed my life. I got to meet so many new people, go so many new places, and try so many new things. I was even blessed to be able to compete with a team. That was really important to me because not only did I make friends who liked some of the things I liked but I also got to learn what it was like to be accepted by my peers and to have a family away from home. Culinary club at Ben Barber made me enjoy school. I would get through the day knowing that I could spend the afternoon in the kitchen cooking with my culinary family. I have always loved to cook, but before Ben Barber, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life after high school. Now I know that I would like to go into the culinary hospitality industry. In the fall, I will be going to Steven F Austin State University for hospitality administration with minor in culinary arts. Because I’ve Ben Barber and the CTE program, I have figured out what I am good at, and how I can pursue it in the near future. Ben Barber pointed me in the right direction and provided me with a family, and I am forever grateful for that.

My biological father was incarcerated when I was young. I loved him very much, but that was very hard for me. Not only because I was going from seeing him very often to not seeing him at all, but also because when I did see him, I was met with a different person. He didn’t look or sound like my father anymore. He and my mother were never married but there was a time where they got along very well. After he went to jail that was no longer the case. Not only did that affect their relationship, but it also affected my relationship with him. Of course I was living with my mother, and she would tell me things, but then when I would see my father, he would tell me the opposite, and I did not know who to believe. I’ve always been a good student, but during that rocky time I became distracted. My home life and my school life we’re getting jumbled up and I didn’t know what to do. we ended up moving away from my father to an entirely different state. Of course I was little when he went to jail so I did not fully understand what was happening, but once I got older, I began to ask why he didn’t want me and why he felt that it was ok to just leave his child. I was heartbroken and I felt like if even my own dad didn’t want me then no one would. I am incredibly grateful for my mother and how strong she has been, but every child deserves two loving parents. To provide myself solace, I asked my mother what happened and why my dad wasn’t around for the beginning of my life. She told me the story, and even though I was not pleased, I had a sense of closure. Now I no longer have to wonder why he did what he did or why he did that to me. Now I can move forward and do better in the next stages of my life so I can take the good examples that I have been given while taking the lessons that I have learned as well.

Everyone deserves a good meal on their table. Food is a necessity, but eating does not have to feel like a chore. Food is supposed to bring people back to the center of the table highlighting cultures, memories, and family. When I join the industry, I not only want to highlight those aspects, but I also would like to create those aspects for people who don’t have them. For a long time, I did not know who I was, and I did not know how to figure it out. However, when I started cooking, I realized not only who I was, but also what I was capable of. I am capable of great things. I am able to do something good that can make someone else happy. I am able to remind someone else of a great time in their life by the food that I present in front of them. I can make the world a better place by bringing comfort to those who need it not only because I cook food that they like but also because the way I treat people matters. I love to cook, but I also know that I want to pursue a career in hospitality and hospitality is more than just cooking. Bringing people and families back to the table to embrace their culture and embark on their journeys in life takes time. You have to want to help. You have to be their family by learning them and cherishing their visits. That is what I want to do. I want everyone who eats with me to feel like my family because I know what it’s like to not know where to belong and nobody deserves to feel like that. In the future, I hope to start a catering company that will be able to serve guests for any occasion. I will partner with the food bank, so I cannot only feed people who can afford it, but also people who are less fortunate that cannot because everyone deserves a good meal.