My passion for culinary arts has helped me overcome a hardship/ personal challenge in many ways. When I was 10 years old, my dad died from a drug overdose. He was in and out of prison my whole life. I feel like when I am in the kitchen, it takes away the pain I have endured due to my dad's passing. Food makes me feel whole again, food has healing powers, brings people together, and food has been my medicine. My Native American heritage plays an important role in my relationship with food. I grew up with my mom getting government-provided free commodities on the reservation and saw many of my family and relatives grow up poor. The reservation is still poor. I would love to see my community learn about traditional food sovereignty, foods that are grown seasonally, and help with diabetes. Growing up on the reservation, I learned about cooking and using traditional foods like acorn mush and salmon on the stick using fire. I learned about ceremonial food and its traditional use during my youth mentoring job. My favorite traditional food is salmon and deer meat. I think another correlation is that food always brings people together; there is healing in food, and bringing family together. Due to my pain and being a young person, I feel like I have made some risky mistakes. I don't want to follow a path like my dad, and overcoming hardship has been challenging and rewarding. My step-dad started a food business on the reservation selling tacos, I watched him use a table, a flat grill, and an ice chest to make food. I started helping sell street food and learned a lot with limited utensils. I watched him use a table for a year and save enough money to get a food trailer. I loved being in the kitchen and selling food, it felt good to see people smile and enjoy the food. I am beating the odds, statistically, I shouldn't be here. In tribal communities, suicides and death plague the communities. I want out, I want something better, I want to be someone my mom, my family, and my community are proud of. Using food as medicine is the key to success in native american communities, and you refer to medicine as something that heals the soul. I want to inspire young girls who are native that they can get off reservations and have a career they love and work towards, that there is a way out.

My name is Laila LittleFawn Hoaglen. I am 17 years old and live in Humboldt County. I am an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in northern California. I am attending East High in Fortuna, Ca. I am interested in attending the Culinary Institute of America for many reasons. The following captures and illustrates my relationship with food. When I think about cooking, I can feel the joy in my soul of pleasing people around me and working hard to focus on the task at hand in the kitchen. When I'm in the kitchen, I feel like I'm where I need to be. I’m ready to accomplish the day in a good mood while being ready for anything. When I start my day in the kitchen, I’m always up and ready to go and always excited to help and get the job done. Walking in the kitchen, I love hearing the sizzling noises from the food being cooked and the sounds of the knives on the cutting board. My first job in the kitchen was as a dishwasher, before I even knew I wanted to be a cook. I was just a kid who wanted to help my step-dad and his business. Being around food, seeing plates being prepared and seeing things transformed really drew me into it. It really does something to your soul to see the smiles from people enjoying the food you create. My Native American heritage plays an important role in my relationship with food. I grew up with my mom getting government-provided free commodities on the reservation and saw many of my family and relatives grow up poor. The reservation is still poor. I would love to see my community learn about traditional food sovereignty, foods that are grown seasonally, and help with combating diabetes. Growing up on the reservation, I learned about cooking and using traditional foods like acorn mush and salmon on the stick using fire. I learned about ceremonial food and its traditional use during my youth mentoring job. My favorite traditional food is salmon and deer meat. I think another correlation is that food always brings people together; there is healing in food, and bringing family together. I'm interested in learning because I will get to meet new people with the same interests and career dreams as me. I also look forward to learning from the best, getting great career opportunities, having expert instructors, and learning hands-on experience. This can help me become a great professional chef. Education at the Culinary Institute of America would provide a comprehensive culinary education with a specialized focus on food sovereignty and the revitalization of traditional Native American foods. My goal is to address the health disparities facing Indigenous communities, particularly the high rates of diabetes, by reclaiming ancestral foodways and integrating culturally significant, nutrient-dense ingredients into modern nutrition programs and community wellness initiatives.

My name is Laila LittleFawn Hoaglen. I am 17 years old and live in Humboldt County. I am an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in northern California. I am attending East High in Fortuna, Ca. I am interested in attending The Culinary Institute of America for many reasons. The following captures and illustrates my relationship with food. When I think about cooking, I can feel the joy in my soul of pleasing people around me and working hard to focus on the task at hand in the kitchen. When I'm in the kitchen, I feel like I'm where I need to be. I’m ready to accomplish the day in a good mood while being ready for anything. When I start my day in the kitchen, I’m always up and ready to go and always excited to help and get the job done. Walking in the kitchen, I love hearing the sizzling noises from the food being cooked and the sounds of the knives on the cutting board. My first job in the kitchen was a dishwasher, before I even knew I wanted to be a cook. I was just a kid who wanted to help my step-dad and his business. Being around food, seeing plates being prepared and seeing things transformed, really drew me into it. It really does something to your soul to see the smiles from people enjoying the food you create. I've always loved helping out in the kitchen. When my step dad got his food trailer I really got into the kitchen and found I loved it. I started with prep and got more and more into it. I've had experience cooking different foods in the kitchen like different style taco meats such as al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, chicken and also rice, beans, elote’s ,guacamole and salsa. My favorite things to make would have to be the meats, and I love to make spaghetti and all things pasta. I want to learn more about different cultures' foods and the languages and the backgrounds they come from. I really am into Italian foods like pastas but I want to learn as much as I can about foods and cooking. My Native American heritage plays an important role in my relationship with food. I grew up with my mom getting government-provided free commodities on the reservation and saw many of my family and relatives grow up poor. The reservation is still poor. I would love to see my community learn about traditional food sovereignty, foods that are grown seasonally and help with diabetes. Growing up on the reservation, I learned about cooking and using traditional foods like acorn mush and salmon on a stick using fire. I have learned in my youth mentoring job about ceremonial food and using food in a traditional way. My favorite traditional food is salmon and deer meat. I think another correlation is that food always brings people together; there is healing in food and bringing family together. I believe an education would provide a comprehensive culinary education with a specialized focus on food sovereignty and the revitalization of traditional Native American foods. My goal is to address the health disparities facing Indigenous communities, particularly the high rates of diabetes, by reclaiming ancestral foodways and integrating culturally significant, nutrient-dense ingredients into modern nutrition programs and community wellness initiatives.