My experience as an underrepresented minority in higher education hasn't felt as real until I got to college. This is because from elementary school to high school, I attended majority black dominated schools. Throughout my life I was in many activities and programs to see what would spark my interest. I specifically remember being in STEM programs where the majority of the people in the program weren't people who looked like me or people who were women like me. It made me feel small and out of place. It was very important to see successful people in these activities and programs that I was participating in. It kept me inspired and it helped me see myself possibly working in that field of work. Being an underrepresented minority has also made me want to strive to be that black woman in a field. I feel like I can show people like me that it is possible the way those few inspirations I have had showed me it was possible. Especially going to a college that is a predominately white institution (PWI), I have found it more and more important to find the people who look like me, because we are heavily underrepresented. I find myself finding comfort in organizations where we are the majority and, in my classes, where we aren't, I connect with the people who look like me and we find a safe space in one another. I am someone who can connect with anyone no matter what race or gender, but I love finding common ground with the people who know the struggles of being a black woman. As far as my future goals, I am majoring in Hospitality Management. I feel this is the right career for me because cooking is my passion. My main reason for choosing this major is because I love cooking for people, but my other reasons for choosing Hospitality Management is because I enjoy cooking and learning about business, food sustainability and Food Science. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. Knowing that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. I plan to minor in Food Science because I believe that taking those extra classes would benefit me in my future pathway in Culinary Arts. I’m going to use my B.S. Hospitality Management degree/Food Science Minor in my Culinary Arts career. I want to get more experience within Culinary Arts, learning how to manage a business and everything it takes to prepare food. In addition to my future goals, I want to be a part of as many things in college as I can be, because I love finding a community to be a part of that I can always go to and feel like I belong. Finding people with similar interests and goals to me helps me stay focused and on my path to where I want to be in the future. My educational journey up to now has impacted my future goals because I am well-rounded, I feel that I am set in stone on what field I want my career path to take me. My educational journey has helped me to keep my options open and stay optimistic about the kinds of opportunities I may come across in the future.

My top 3 Billie Eilish songs are Happier Than Ever, What Was I Made For, and Idontwannabeyouanymore. Happier Than Ever resonates with me because to me it's about letting go of people who are toxic and not making you feel good. They don't support you or try to show up for you when you need them. They manipulate you and make you feel like everything is your fault. But then you finally leave them and become more independent. You realize you never needed them for happiness and that you can make yourself happy. You end up finding yourself and coming to terms with all the messed-up things they did. All of these things to me are what this song was about. I can relate to the song in a way because I have had a few similar experiences, and I have found myself in a better place ever since. What Was I Made For resonates with me because I feel that it is a song about purpose. Trying to figure out what your purpose is over and over and not being sure what path to take. Knowing that one day your path and purpose will come to you. Even though you can't really tell what it is in the moment. The confusion making you upset and feeling unworthy. Eventually you have to take the initiative to realize trying new things can open up different paths and new doors that you never expected. I can relate to this because I have been trying to find my purpose in life and in some ways I still am. But I do believe I am going down the path I am meant to be on and that's a start. Idontwannabeyouanymore resonates with me because it's a song about trying to become a better version of yourself or just a different version of yourself. Being unhappy with the version of yourself that you see. Trying to figure out who you are and who you're becoming. I relate to this because I am someone who didn't like the old version of themselves and wanted to be someone different and new. Now that I have become that version of myself, I am happier, and I feel that I am where I want to be as far as who I am.

I am majoring in the Hospitality Management field and I feel that it is the right career choice for me because cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of preparing the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way. I chose hospitality management because I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. Knowing that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. I want to teach others the importance of sanitation and sustainable food because there is so much that goes into it. I could take food courses like a culinary arts class and work in student-led cafes on campus too. I hope to minor in Food Science because I believe that taking those future extra classes would benefit me overall in my future pathway in Culinary Arts. I’m going to use my B.S. Hospitality Management degree/Food Science Minor in a way that makes sense with my Culinary Arts career. I also want to get more experience within the Culinary Arts world. Learning the most important parts of how to manage a business and everything it takes to prepare food, truly interests me the most. Attending culinary school after college is important to me because I know that’s where you really learn everything about food prep, cooking, flavor, etc. Internships and working in food service businesses is also really important in feeling prepared for my future. I believe that this scholarship will help me achieve my future goals and will greatly benefit me because it will give me the money that I need to be able to afford college. I am taking all the chances I can to earn money for school because I really want to earn a degree.

I am majoring in the Hospitality Management field and I feel that it is the right career choice for me because cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of preparing the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way. I chose hospitality management because I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. Knowing that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. I want to teach others the importance of sanitation and sustainable food because there is so much that goes into it. I could take food courses like a culinary arts class and work in student-led cafes on campus too. I hope to minor in Food Science because I believe that taking those future extra classes would benefit me overall in my future pathway in Culinary Arts. I’m going to use my B.S. Hospitality Management degree/Food Science Minor in a way that makes sense with my Culinary Arts career. I also want to get more experience within the Culinary Arts world. Learning the most important parts of how to manage a business and everything it takes to prepare food, truly interests me the most. Attending culinary school after college is important to me because I know that’s where you really learn everything about food prep, cooking, flavor, etc. Internships and working in food service businesses is also really important in feeling prepared for my future.

I will create a positive environmental impact on my local and global communities in the next five years through the lens of culinary and hospitality because it is a part of my dream to do so. In the next 5 years, I will be out of college and hopefully also have my culinary certificate from culinary school. I want to make an environmental change in the community through learning important facts about food sustainability. I can help people understand how to handle food properly because it’s important. Especially when cooking at home for their families. Having sustainable food is also important because you want to know where your food is coming from. I might even inspire someone else the same way I’ve been inspired. Food sustainability goes hand and hand with culinary arts because Chefs always want to make sure the food and ingredients they are using are fresh and can stay contained for the right period. People and families in their households sometimes don't know the importance of this. They buy fresh food and don't end up taking care of it properly which causes it to go bad faster. Which means money is wasted and food has gone to waste. All people need is a few tips and advice on how to sustain their food and then they will have learned something and their money isn't wasted because their fresh food lasts longer. What I want to do is help spread those tips and advice to people seeking it or people who are just unaware of what to do and why their fresh food isn't lasting. The best way to do this is through social media and my future culinary business which will be focused on catering food to my customers. Additionally, I can create a positive environmental impact in the next 5 years through the lens of hospitality because it is an ability that comes naturally to me. I love taking care of people and making certain they have everything they need to feel comfortable and cared for in my space. It is important to me because you should be able to feel at home wherever you are and I take pride in that. I will make the biggest impact with this through my culinary business. I believe that I want to be a Private Chef, which requires hospitality experience that is excellent. When you want your clients to continue to book services with you and continue to ask you to prepare meals for them. You have to create the space for them to want to do so. It not only brings you more and more revenue it also creates a relationship with your clients that is fluent. What I wish to do is also make sure my kindness and accommodations are up to par when it comes to my clients. I want to make sure that I can do what they are asking for in the best way possible.

I demonstrated leadership on my school's dance team. In my junior year, I had the opportunity to become one of the team's Captains. This experience gave me a different point of view of what it’s like to be a leader. I consider myself, my teammates, and how I can best support them. To help them grow as dancers, I learned to be inspirational and lift my teammates when things get difficult. This was not easy, but it was part of growing into a leadership role that will prepare me for future roles. Being a leader was also about discipline. It meant getting my teammates back on track when they needed to focus more. I had to let them know who was in charge - not in an overpowering manner or bossy manner, but in a way that created mutual respect. Even though I wasn’t a coach, the team couldn’t just do what they wanted or treat me differently. I learned I am capable of more than I thought. I shouldn’t limit myself to what I don’t think I can do. I should try to do it anyway, even if I don’t get it right the first time. Overall, I learned to believe in myself. This experience has influenced my plans for the future. I will continue to be involved in Dance by taking dance classes or joining a dance team in college. I want to continue to grow as a Dancer because it is a part of who I am. Another way I have demonstrated leadership was by being Vice President of my school's National Honors Society. I was able to help guide my group through important information that they needed to know. I helped create an event for my school where I took part in organizing, picking the snacks, and many other things. Overall, I just wanted my fellow peers to have a voice and feel included. I wanted to make sure my peers stayed involved and were able to help the executive board make decisions. This was important to me because it wasn't just about the executive board it was about the group as a whole participating and being involved. In the future, I hope to be able to show people the skills I have to offer. I hope to create connections with other people through networking because that is one of the best ways to earn opportunities and get people to notice your talents. I hope to make everyone feel comfortable and involved in any space where I am the leader.

The hospitality industry is the right career choice for me because cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of preparing the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science. Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera. I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team. I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes of our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I believe that this scholarship will help me achieve my future goals because it will give me the money I need to be able to afford college. In my Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management, I will take business, food science and hotel management classes. With these classes, I hope to start my career in the hospitality industry as a Private Chef.

The hospitality industry is the right career choice for me because cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of preparing the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science. Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera. I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team. I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes of our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I believe that this scholarship will help me achieve my future goals because it will give me the money I need to be able to afford college. In my Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management, I will take business, food science and hotel management classes. With these classes, I hope to start my career in the hospitality industry as a Private Chef.

I think the hospitality industry is the right career choice for me because cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of preparing the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science. Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera. I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team. I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes of our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I believe that this scholarship will help me achieve my future goals because it will give me the money I need to be able to afford college. Once I earn my Bachelor of Science degreein Hospitality Management, I hope to start my career in the hospitality industry as a Private Chef.

Cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited. I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried, was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. Another experience that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera. I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team. I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times, but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry in these summer programs. I also learned that using fresh ingredients free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. I plan to use my Hospitality Management /Food Science degree, work as a chef and build my Culinary Arts business. It’s important for people to learn the proper way to handle food, especially when cooking for their families. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. I plan to learn more about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Food Science industry.

Empowerment in my opinion is being able to enlighten someone else’s life. Giving someone the confidence to do what will make them feel happy and accomplished. A leadership experience has helped empower me because I felt like I was doing something good. I love helping people so it fulfilled me to help others. In my junior year, I had the opportunity to become one of the team's Captains. This experience gave me a different point of view of what it’s like to truly be a leader. I not only consider myself, but my teammates and how I can best support them. To help them grow as dancers, I learned to be inspirational and lift my teammates up when things get difficult. This was not easy to do, but it was part of growing into a leadership role that will prepare me for future roles. Being a leader was also about discipline. It meant getting my teammates back on track when they needed to focus more. I had to let them know who was in charge - not in an overpowering way or a bossy way, but in a way that created mutual respect. Even though I wasn’t a coach, the team couldn’t just do what they wanted or treat me differently. I learned I am capable of more than I thought. I shouldn’t limit myself to what I don’t think I can do. I should try to do it anyway, even if I don’t get it right the first time. Overall, I learned to believe in myself. This experience has influenced my plans for the future. I will continue to be involved in Dance either by taking dance classes or joining a dance team in college. I want to continue to grow as a Dancer because it is a part of who I am. This experience has affected my life because it’s one of the first experiences where I was truly given the opportunity to have a big leadership role. It has given me the confidence to take on other leadership roles within my life. I thought that since I could accomplish the leadership role of Co-Captain, that I must be able to handle any leadership role. Eventually, I channeled that confidence into running for Vice President in the National Honor Society program at my school. I wanted to be the best Vice President I could be to my peers and with that dedication, I was elected. I always wanted to help make being an National Honor Society member and being on the dance team a good experience for everyone included.

Cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried, was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way.  I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I also learned that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. Being able to use my Food Science or Hospitality Management degree in a way that makes sense with my Culinary Arts career is my goal. This scholarship will help me pay for books, meal plan or part of my tuition. I have a 3.92 GPA, but I don’t have any scholarships yet. It’s important for people to learn the proper way to handle food, especially when cooking for their families. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. I might even inspire someone else the same way I’ve been inspired. My goals can benefit somebody because I didn’t know that much about Food Science or how women chefs impacted the industry before now. Merging Culinary Arts and Food Science/ Hospitality Management into a business is the biggest goal I want to make in my life.

Cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried, was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way.  I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I also learned that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. Being able to use my Food Science or Hospitality Management degree in a way that makes sense with my Culinary Arts career is my goal. This scholarship will help me pay for books, meal plan or part of my tuition. I have a 3.92 GPA, but I don’t have any scholarships yet. It’s important for people to learn the proper way to handle food, especially when cooking for their families. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. I might even inspire someone else the same way I’ve been inspired. My goals can benefit somebody because I didn’t know that much about Food Science or would’ve even considered it before now. Merging Culinary Arts and Food Science/ Hospitality Management into a business is the biggest goal I want to make in my life.

Cooking is my passion. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I really got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes I tried, was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to improve the overall taste and make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special for me. This has impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I have really been able to recognize what I want to do as a career by experiencing cooking in this way.  I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within the Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters in Chicago. It was online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals that we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were put in groups where we had to work together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to come up with ideas. It became hectic at times but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. It was a good environment. We were able to cook, creatively make recipes our own and work with other people, which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and loved the experience as a whole. I learned more about the Culinary Industry by being in this summer program. I also learned that using fresh ingredients that are free of bacteria, is an important part of Food Science. Being able to use my Food Science or Hospitality Management degree in a way that makes sense with my Culinary Arts career is my goal. This scholarship will help me pay for books, meal plan or part of my tuition. It’s important for people to learn the proper way to handle food, especially when cooking for their families. Having sustainable food in your community is important because you want to know where your food is coming from. I might even inspire someone else the same way I’ve been inspired. My goals can benefit somebody because I didn’t know that much about Food Science or would’ve even considered it before now. Merging Culinary Arts and Food Science/ Hospitality Management in a way that may be uncommon is the biggest goal I want to make in my life.

I faced a adversity when I was on my school’s dance team. It was during my senior year as the dance season was just beginning. I was excited to get back into dancing and looking forward to it being my last year as a senior on the team. I was also upset that it was my last year because it’s been one of the best experiences in my life. I hadn’t danced since earlier this year in April so I was a little rusty. I found myself having a hard time getting the choreography and executing the moves the way I wanted to. Even my coach was concerned about why I wasn’t dancing the way I used to. This made me wonder if I could snap out of this phase or If it would just stick with me. I was disappointed in myself and my confidence was lowering during the process of trying to learn. I was getting easily frustrated and I thought about giving up, which I don’t usually do. What didn’t help was that my teammates were catching on faster to the choreography than me, which made me feel like the odd one out. Despite this, I kept practicing on my own and going over the choreography during practice. I asked for clarity when I needed it and looked closely at little things in the choreography that I might’ve missed. When we practiced dancing in groups to give everyone a chance to have more space, I wasn’t confident in the movements and I found myself not trying as hard. I continued to practice and practice when we were in dance practice in person and then more at home. I gained more confidence each time. At each practice group performance, I would get better and soon enough I had gotten the choreography down. When it came closer to our performance, all the dancers started to be placed for the routine. I ended up being placed in different spots before being placed in the back row. I felt like I was trying my best, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. Although being put in the back of the dance can be a little discouraging I still ended up dancing my best no matter where I was in the routine because I was still proud of myself. When I watch dance routines on social media, I notice the dancers in the back row are doing just as well as the dancers in the front row because both rows are just as important. Being able to recognize this helped me see that I was doing well and that I deserved to be included in the routine. Recognizing my improvement also helped me realize that working hard for something you want to get better at can make a difference. I found myself getting back to dancing the way I used to with all the energy and passion that I had before. I improved where I could and enhanced parts that were lacking. I learned that I was holding myself back and wasn’t dancing within my full potential at first. I was getting discouraged easily and I should’ve believed in myself more. Each time you should try to face adversity and improve and do better than you did the last time because it’s going to pay off in the long run.

I faced a challenge when I was on my school’s dance team. It was during my senior year as the dance season was just beginning. I was excited to get back into dancing and looking forward to it being my last year as a senior on the team. I was also upset that it was my last year because it’s been one of the best experiences in my life. I hadn’t danced since earlier this year in April so I was a little rusty. I found myself having a hard time getting the choreography and executing the moves the way I wanted to. Even my coach was concerned about why I wasn’t dancing the way I used to. This made me wonder if I could snap out of this phase or If it would just stick with me. I was disappointed in myself and my confidence was lowering during the process of trying to learn. I was getting easily frustrated and I thought about giving up, which I don’t usually do. What didn’t help was that my teammates were catching on faster to the choreography than me, which made me feel like the odd one out. Despite this, I kept practicing on my own and going over the choreography during practice. I asked for clarity when I needed it and looked closely at little things in the choreography that I might’ve missed. When we practiced dancing in groups to give everyone a chance to have more space, I wasn’t confident in the movements and I found myself not trying as hard. I continued to practice and practice when we were in dance practice in person and then more at home. I gained more confidence each time. At each practice group performance, I would get better and soon enough I had gotten the choreography down. When it came closer to our performance, all the dancers started to be placed for the routine. I ended up being placed in different spots before being placed in the back row. I felt like I was trying my best, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. Although being put in the back of the dance can be a little discouraging I still ended up dancing my best no matter where I was in the routine because I was still proud of myself. When I watch dance routines on social media, I notice the dancers in the back row are doing just as well as the dancers in the front row because both rows are just as important. Being able to recognize this helped me see that I was doing well and that I deserved to be included in the routine. Recognizing my improvement also helped me realize that working hard for something you want to get better at can make a difference. I found myself getting back to dancing the way I used to with all the energy and passion that I had before. I improved where I could and enhanced parts that were lacking. I learned that I was holding myself back and wasn’t dancing within my full potential at first. I was getting discouraged easily and I should’ve believed in myself more. Each time you should try to improve and do better than you did the last time because it’s going to pay off in the long run.

Cooking has allowed me to become more creative and open-minded. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. I felt accomplished. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special. This impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters. It was online, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals we cooked every week, along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were in groups working together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to develop ideas. It became hectic at times, but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in a restaurant kitchen. I felt I was right where I was supposed to be. We were able to cook, create recipes and work with other people which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and I loved the experience overall. I learned more about the Culinary Industry through these summer programs. I also learned that using fresh ingredients free of bacteria is an important part of Food Science. Out of all the interests I’ve had in my life, food is the one thing I’m most sure of. Discovering this helped me become more creative, open minded and expand my mindset to be successful. I want to learn about food safety, the process of creating food and connect this with my love for cooking as a career.  Preparing food has given me a sense of peace. My impact on the world will help the food industry from what I learn from cooking and Food Science.

Cooking has allowed me to become more creative and open-minded. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. I felt accomplished. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special. This impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters. It was online, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were in groups working together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to develop ideas. It became hectic at times, but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in a restaurant kitchen. I felt I was right where I was supposed to be. We were able to cook, create recipes and work with other people which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and I loved the experience overall. I learned more about the Culinary Industry through thes summer programs. I also learned that using fresh ingredients free of bacteria is an important part of Food Science. Out of all the interests I’ve had in my life, food is the one thing I’m most sure of. Discovering this helped me become more creative, open minded and expand my mindset to be successful. I want to learn about food safety, the process of creating food and connect this with my love for cooking as a career.  Preparing food has given me a sense of peace. My impact on the world will help the food industry from what I learn from cooking and Food Science.

I faced a challenge when I was on my school’s dance team. It was during my senior year as the dance season was just beginning. I was excited to get back into dancing and looking forward to it being my last year as a senior on the team. I was also upset that it was my last year because it’s been one of the best experiences in my life. I hadn’t danced since earlier this year in April so I was a little rusty. I found myself having a hard time getting the choreography and executing the moves the way I wanted to. Even my coach was concerned about why I wasn’t dancing the way I used to. This made me wonder if I could snap out of this phase. I was disappointed in myself and my confidence was lowering during the process of trying to learn. I was getting easily frustrated and I thought about giving up, which I don’t usually do. What didn’t help was that my teammates were catching on faster to the choreography than me, which made me feel like the odd one out. Despite this, I kept practicing on my own and going over the choreography during practice. I asked for clarity when I needed it and looked closely at little things in the choreography that I might’ve missed. When we practiced dancing in groups to give everyone a chance to have more space, I wasn’t confident in the movements and I found myself not trying as hard. I continued to practice and practice at dance practice in person and then more at home. I gained more confidence each time. At each practice group performance, I would get better and soon enough I had gotten the choreography down. When it came closer to our performance, all the dancers started to be placed for the routine. I ended up being placed in different spots before being placed in the back row. I felt like I was trying my best, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. Although being put in the back of the dance can be a little discouraging I still ended up dancing my best no matter where I was in the routine because I was still proud of myself. When I watch dance routines on social media, I notice the dancers in the back row are doing just as well as the dancers in the front row because both rows are just as important. Being able to recognize this helped me see that I was doing well and that I deserved to be included in the routine. Recognizing my improvement also helped me realize that working hard for something you want to get better at can make a difference. I found myself getting back to dancing the way I used to with all the energy I had. I improved where I could and enhanced parts that were lacking. I was holding myself back and wasn’t dancing within my full potential at first. I was getting discouraged easily and I should’ve believed in myself more. Each time you should try to improve and do better than you did the last time because it’s going to pay off in the long run. Out of all the interests I’ve had in my life, food is the one thing I’m most sure of. Food safety, the process of creating food can be challenging. Cooking helps me become more creative, open minded and expand my mindset to be successful. I plan to connect this with my love for cooking as a career in Food Science.

550w I faced a challenge when I was on my school’s dance team. It was during my senior year as the dance season was just beginning. I was excited to get back into dancing and looking forward to it being my last year as a senior on the team. I was also upset that it was my last year because it’s been one of the best experiences in my life. I hadn’t danced since earlier this year in April so I was a little rusty. I found myself having a hard time getting the choreography and executing the moves the way I wanted to. Even my coach was concerned about why I wasn’t dancing the way I used to. This made me wonder if I could snap out of this phase or If it would just stick with me. I was disappointed in myself and my confidence was lowering during the process of trying to learn. I was getting easily frustrated and I thought about giving up, which I don’t usually do. What didn’t help was that my teammates were catching on faster to the choreography than me, which made me feel like the odd one out. Despite this, I kept practicing on my own and going over the choreography during practice. I asked for clarity when I needed it and looked closely at little things in the choreography that I might’ve missed. When we practiced dancing in groups to give everyone a chance to have more space, I wasn’t confident in the movements and I found myself not trying as hard. I turned it up to 11 as I continued to practice and practice when we were in dance practice in person and then more at home. I gained more confidence each time. At each practice group performance, I would get better and soon enough I had gotten the choreography down. When it came closer to our performance, all the dancers started to be placed for the routine. I ended up being placed in different spots before being placed in the back row. I felt like I was trying my best, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. Although being put in the back of the dance can be a little discouraging I still ended up dancing my best no matter where I was in the routine because I was still proud of myself. When I watch dance routines on social media, I notice the dancers in the back row are doing just as well as the dancers in the front row because both rows are just as important. Being able to recognize this helped me see that I was doing well and that I deserved to be included in the routine. Recognizing my improvement also helped me realize that working hard for something you want to get better at can make a difference. I found myself getting back to dancing the way I used to with all the energy I had. I improved where I could and enhanced parts that were lacking. I learned that I was holding myself back and wasn’t dancing within my full potential at first. I was getting discouraged easily and I should’ve believed in myself more. Each time you should try to improve and do better than you did the last time because it’s going to pay off in the long run.

Cooking has allowed me to become more creative and open-minded. I love making food for other people. The idea of putting flavors together to create something delicious and putting my own creative touch on it makes me excited.  I remember the first time I got into cooking. I wanted to try new recipes and experiment on new dinner ideas for my family. One of the first of many recipes was a creamy tomato pasta. I loved the process of prepping the ingredients and cooking it. I enjoyed how it made me feel. I felt calm and nothing else was on my mind. I took my time adding different seasonings to the sauce to make it as flavorful as possible. When I first tasted the pasta, I thought it was really good. I was proud that I made it on my own. I felt accomplished. When my family told me it was good, it made it more special. This impacted me because I value having other people try my food and give me critiques and compliments. I take the advice and make it better the next time. I enjoy learning about cooking and food sustainability within Culinary Arts and Food Science.  Another experience I’ve had that made my passion for cooking grow was when I joined a Culinary program with After School Matters. It was online, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We picked up our food boxes and cooked on camera.  I really enjoyed learning new things about cooking and getting out of my comfort zone by making different recipes. I was in another Culinary program with After School Matters during this past summer. We had a series of meals we cooked every week along with learning sanitation basics and culinary skills like knife cuts. We were in groups working together as a team.  I took on leadership roles, helping my teammates, and working together to develop ideas. It became hectic at times, but I enjoyed getting a feel for what it’s like to work in a restaurant kitchen. I felt I was right where I was supposed to be. We were able to cook, create recipes and work with other people which was my favorite part. I felt very comfortable and I loved the experience overall. I learned more about the Culinary Industry through thes summer programs. I also learned that using fresh ingredients free of bacteria is an important part of Food Science. Out of all the interests I’ve had in my life, food is the one thing I’m most sure of. Discovering this helped me become more creative, open minded and expand my mindset to be successful. I want to learn about food safety, the process of creating food and connect this with my love for cooking as a career.  Preparing food has given me a sense of peace. My impact on the world will help the food industry from what I learn from cooking and Food Science.

I have demonstrated tenacity on my school’s dance team. It was during my senior year as the dance season was just beginning. I was excited to get back into dancing and looking forward to it being my last year on the team. It was bittersweet. I hadn’t danced since earlier this year in April so I was a little rusty. I found myself having a hard time getting the choreography and executing the moves the way I wanted to. Even my coach was concerned about why I wasn’t dancing the way I used to. This made me wonder if I could snap out of this phase or If it would just stick with me. I was disappointed in myself and my confidence was lowering during the process of trying to learn. I was getting easily frustrated and I thought about giving up which I don’t do. Despite this, I kept practicing on my own and going over the choreography during practice. I asked for clarity when I needed it and looked closely at little things in the choreography that I might’ve missed. When we practiced dancing groups I wasn’t confident in the movements and I found myself not trying as hard. But I practiced and practiced, when we were in person and then more at home, gaining more confidence each time. Each time we had practice group performances I would get better and soon enough I had got the choreography down. When it came closer to our performance all the dancers started to be placed for the routine. I ended up being placed in many spots before being placed in the back row. I felt like I was trying my best but maybe it wasn’t good enough. I still ended up going for it anyway no matter where I was in the routine because I was still proud of myself. I knew I was doing good and that I deserved to be included in the routine. Recognizing my improvement helped me realize that working hard for something you want to get good at can make a difference. I found myself getting back to dancing the way I used to with all the energy I had. I improved where I could and enhanced parts that were lacking. I learned that I was holding myself back and wasn’t going to my full potential at first. I was getting discouraged easily and I should’ve believed in myself more. Each time you should try to improve and do better than you did the last time because it’s going to pay off in the long run.

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