At my local church, I am a singer and guitarist, as well as a teacher's assistant. In my high school career, I was a treasurer, swim coach assistant/manager, and part of the leadership class. Recently, I got accepted into The Culinary Institute of America and will start attending early next year. Much like Mazzetti, I believe in supporting and helping the community around me. My family has always fallen in the middle-class category of the socioeconomic ladder, but we still struggled. However, despite the constant economic struggle, they always gave me space to explore my creativity when I baked—it was my outlet. Regardless of whether my pastries came out finger-licking delicious or horrendously puke-inducing, I was allowed to make mistakes and learn. Once I strengthened some of my baking skills, I ventured out to share baking goods with my local community. In my church, with my friends, teachers, and neighbors, I saw a connection: simple food, like bread, connected people. Witnessing the smiles and joy of people receiving the gift of food made my passion for baking grow even more. In the future, I’d like to open a bakery/cafe that fuses diverse flavors from France and Italy, creating a warm, welcoming space for all to enjoy. I want to bring Europe to America. Through my bakery/cafe, I want people to not only enjoy a delightful pastry but also recognize the many foods that come from different cultures. I also use my bakery/cafe as a medium to serve others by giving them financial support and nourishment. Supporting others and my family is a life goal. Our world is filled with much evil, the best thing I can do is pour good and hope into my community. Being the light to those who lost sight is far greater. Besides experiencing new foods and supporting the community, my business will be a means of encouragement and support for my community. Money is temporary but connections are forever. Being able to support family, friends, and my community is my goal to complete. There is no other feeling than being able to help someone and bring joy back into their life. Lastly, food, especially sweets, has made memorable moments and connections in my life. Food brings people together, regardless of how big or small. These times are to treasure and hold on to. If I can provide a reason for people to come together and share a moment, then my service as a business and pastry chef has been done. This scholarship will be instrumental in helping me achieve this goal by providing financial support for my culinary education and pursuing a business.

Financial challenges and peer pressure were obstacles that I had to overcome in pursuit of higher education. It is very often and common to hear the words "pursuing higher education" and "getting a degree." But, no one talked about the cost and the struggle to afford education. Though, there are various ways to support yourself, why is it that I struggled to be approved and fight for a chance in education? Or why is it that when I want to pursue a career that I love, it is not good enough? I was on my way to a 4-year college until my parents saw the cost and was too much to afford. From there, I was the only one out of my friends not attending school. The feeling of seeing everyone else's lives work out and not mine tore me. I felt useless and unhopeful. For a season, I was stuck at home thinking that my life would be just working an ordinary job which I didn't mind but, my dreams and goals were far gone. Not only did I struggle to afford school, but I struggled with the careers that my family and friends wanted me to pursue. Every option, decision, thought, and future was for the pleasure of those around me. It was a never-ending cycle of arguments and stress. It wasn't until then that my older sister, Megan, motivated me to get back on my feet. She told me, "If what you're going to do is a passion that you love, don't let anyone or anything stop you. Because at the end of the day, it is worth it for what you love." I put much thought into her words and realized that pursuing what you love is far greater than doing something you don't. Passion never dies, for it is always in you. It is not until you feed the fire that it eventually becomes an uncontrollable flame. Learning this made me pursue my love for culinary, especially pastries. Experiencing the struggle of my family to afford not only school but daily items inspired me to reach out to those in need through my pastries. Besides having to taste a delicious treat, I will give to charity and make donations to those who believe there is no hope for themselves. I will be the salt and light called to this earth to serve those who are lost and in need. Selfish ambition gains you nothing, but the ambition to pursue what is generous gains you honor and favor. I am not called to be served, but to serve others in ways of righteousness.

The phrase, "iron sharpens iron" was always said in my household, for I grew up in a Christian household. This saying talks about the friendships and connections we have. Though it is a very interesting saying, we can act out this proverb in real life. Take for example, when we sharpen a knife, we use a similar rock or material to sharpen it. It cannot be sharpened with any soft material, for it will not cut. For us to be people who thrive in this life, we need friendships and connections that will keep us accountable and keep us in check. There was a season in my life where I had nothing going on other than playing and singing at my church every Friday and Sunday. For a while, I thought that this was my purpose in life. As time went by, I lost ambition, determination, dreams, goals, and what seemed, "purpose". Feeling so lost and useless, I lost hope in trying to make a difference in my life. It was then that my older sister kept telling me the hard truth that I needed to get up and make a change. I didn't like the words she would tell me, but she was right. We often tend to like words that sympathize with us. Lots of the time, the truth hurts. We dislike being told the truth for it makes us uncomfortable. As humans, we'd love to enjoy a comfortable settling life, but sometimes, we cannot always stay in the same spot. This season taught me that we are humans who crave a purpose, but to reach that success, we need people in our lives who will motivate us and call us out to be better people. Surrounding ourselves with those who are greater and being humble enough to recognize that we don't know it all and need the mentorship of others. In terms of culinary, we only learn from the best. That is to humble yourself before those who are greater and ask questions. For me to achieve and be a successful chef, patience and being able to receive critique will get you far. Even though sometimes feedback doesn't sound the best, it builds our character and skill. Humility has been and is one of the biggest traits to bring out the best in you. Besides receiving feedback, I would love to help others grow as well. Our talents are not for selfish ambition, but to raise and encourage those around us who too, aspire to achieve. I have met people who wished they could have gone to culinary school but, it only takes one of us to make a change. As iron sharpens iron, so will I sharpen the minds and skills of those who are interested and willing to brighten their skills in culinary.

To me, success does not mean to live lusciously and luxuriously. Rather success is a state in which you reached what seemed impossible and turned it into a reality. Goals and dreams seem to take forever and even challenging. The beauty of achieving the impossible to so many, including yourself, is not ultimately what you get out of it, but rather the satisfaction of understanding that you completed and faced the challenges of your goals. You did what many could not. I come from a family of business owners. Growing up, the mentality was always to make yourself wealthy and not others. It was then that I made it my goal to open my own bakery/coffee shop. For the longest time, I thought that I would live comfortably in the future and own anything I wanted. From having a lovely home to a huge property to items we could never afford. Though growing up, we were considered as low-income. It became easy to be selfish when we didn't have much. It was not till high school that I realized what good is it to have everything I ever wanted. How will that change my life? Who will I become? As I started to get older, I saw the struggles of my family and for the first time saw how desperate many were for just a single meal. It was then that I decided to not only work hard for my benefit but, for the benefit of others as well. With my success in my business, I will help those in desperate need, remembering that I too was once in their shoes. Generosity comes with blessings. You'll never go wrong with doing good to others. I've seen too much of what this wicked world has to offer, the only best thing to offer is our kindness. Success cannot only mean achieving the impossible but also thriving humanely. Success is achieved through humility and understanding of others as well. With such pride, comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. With this scholarship, it will help me complete my schooling in baking and pastry. Not only to achieve my associates, but to sharpen my knowledge, skill, technique, mind, and thought. I'll be able to adapt my skills to my future business and deliver only the best of what I am for those who are to come and those who cannot fend for themselves with such delicious pastries.