I decided that I was going to attend culinary school when I was a sophomore in high school. I took a foods class to get an easy A and to help bring up my GPA. While taking this class I figured out that I had a passion for cooking, but more of a passion when I was making the desserts. I started researching recipes and made them at home. I even made my brother’s wedding cake, in which made me even more excited about being a pastry chef, but there wasn’t a pastry school near that I could afford. So, I knew that I still had a liking for cooking food and found out that there was a culinary school about eight hours away from me. I registered for the North Dakota State College of Science when I was a senior in high school and started taking online college courses to get ahead. In June of 2008, I received a packet in the mail from OCCI and saw that it had offered Baking and Pastry (and that it was by the ocean, of course). I made a call to Chef Hanlin, talked to him about the school, and right after I got off the phone I decided that that is where I want to be.
Now, being here for 10 months, I feel that not only have I learned a lot but more of how to use my own personal ability to creating extravagant things. The staff definitely helps being here easier and less stressful. It’s almost like having another home because no matter what problems you have they can easily be solved within a couple days. I am very excited to start my career as a pastry chef because OCCI has given me the confidence to succeed.