My next chapter would be titled “NYC and learning to live…” This chapter was hard to title because I am moving into uncharted waters. I currently live in a very small town in Maryland and want to attend a college just outside of New York City. I have no family in NYC and living on campus with people I have never met before will be strange for me. It might be a struggle but it will be worth it in the end. Learning to live on my own, and without the constant supervision of my parents has to happen, and while I am looking forward to the next chapter I am also intimidated. I am not a very social person and this will force me to expand my boundaries in a good way. I will be going into the culinary field after graduation. In this field, networking is important, especially if you want to open a small business as I would like to do. Attending a prestigious school such as the Culinary Institute of America means many opportunities and new people from around the country. I want to use these to my advantage and learn as much as I can in my time there. While I don’t know the specifics of what will happen with my moment in the Big Apple, I hope that I can grow as a person. In my next chapter, I desire to embrace hope, growth, and independence. That is why I titled my next chapter “NYC and learning to live…”. I’m not the greatest at writing, but I hope my title accurately conveys how I feel going forward, and my aspirations for my next chapter. Thank you for your consideration, and have a great day!

I am most similar to Dwight K. Shrute from The Office. I have been told since I was little that I have very little common sense, and I can be very gullible at times. I am easily tricked and always a good target when it comes to pranks and jokes, which doesn’t always work out the best for me. Having a younger brother who is a lot like Jim Halpert is very unfortunate, and our relationship is very similar to Jim and Dwight’s as well. Growing up in rural Maryland very close to the PA line also connects me to Dwight. I am used to driving by fields of corn, seeing horses and buggies on the side of the road, the smell of manure, and tractors on the highway. I like getting my hands dirty whether it’s helping my brother replace the sound system and radio in his truck, or taking care of the chickens in the backyard. While I don’t own a beet farm, I do want to open my own bakery. We are both confident and determined people and loyal to a fault when it comes to our friends. When it comes to the show in general, the humor is impeccable. My friends and I make “that’s what she said” jokes almost every day, and are using quotes from the show as our senior quotes for the yearbook. I have multiple The Office stickers on my water bottle that I carry around, including a stapler in JELLO, prison Mike’s bandana, and the teapot that Jim gave to Pam in season 2. It has impacted the way I act at work as well. I am so much more friendly and fun with my coworkers even though my boss isn’t Michael Scott, and I embody Dwight’s work ethic and definitely don’t steal a second of company time, as he claims in the episode “Business Ethics” in season 5. As I currently work at Chick-fil-A, it’s a very fast-paced environment. You interact with many guests and it was very hard for me at first. I couldn’t connect with them, and I was kind of standoffish, as Dwight was described to be in the episode “Customer Survey” in season 5. I am now so much better at handling customers and can upsell items, and am very good at my job. Let's just say Mr. William M. Buttlicker would now be very well taken care of. Overall, I love the show The Office and enjoy the humor. It is a great satire of an American workplace. Of the characters, I connect the most with Dwight. I have found that we have many similarities and throughout watching and rewatching every season I find more and more. Thank you for your time and consideration, and remember this last piece of advice. Don’t be an idiot.

I am pursuing a culinary career, with a focus on baking and pastry. Ever since I was little I have loved to bake. Any time I could find an excuse to bake something I would take it. For any family event, birthday, or party I would be there with a dessert in hand. For years I have known that I wanted to own a bakery one day and make a career out of my passion for the baking and pastry arts. I grew up around homemade food at family gatherings and relatives who love to cook and bake as much as I do. They have encouraged me so much to pursue baking and pastry and given me so many tips, tricks, and all the support I needed to help me along the way. My friends and family were some of my first customers too, and I always knew that if I needed a taste tester I would have no problem finding one. I am currently attending the Cecil County School of Technology as a high school student in cooperation with my public high school. While this has been a great experience for me in the past 2 years, I need a higher level of technical education. This course also doesn’t have a main focus on baking and pastry. After obtaining my higher level trade education in baking and pastry arts I want to open my own bakery. I have a passion for being a small business owner and entrepreneur like my father. Moving back to my hometown and opening a bakery would help and support my community greatly, and I want to support trade education in my area. I know so many other students who benefit from it and I want to make sure everyone else can have the same support that I do. As a student and employee working through the COVID-19 pandemic, I faced a lot of hardship. COVID impacted mainly my 8th and 9th grade years. My education was poor, I was home all the time and had no social skills. Wearing masks was annoying, and the ramifications of it were seen in my everyday life. Going back to living a normal life was difficult. Especially in working a job. Because my hours in the school building were cut back because of COVID I began working. I worked at a restoration franchise named PuroClean. I started out cleaning the facilities and offices before working in the contents area where I was tasked with cleaning items removed from a home impacted by fire, water, mold, etc. We would go into the home, pack the items into boxes, and bring them back to our facilities to clean them while the rest of the team mitigated the home. The hard transition from normal life, no school or contact with the community, and back into part-time school and working a job was difficult. However, I adjusted and learned the necessary social skills and life skills that I missed out on in those 2 years. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship opportunity!

My favorite Netflix show definitely has to be School Spirits. It's an incredible show with thrilling twists and an ever-changing plot. The main character, Madison Nears, is assumed missing or dead by the community. With her spirit trapped on school grounds and no memory of what happened to her, she has one goal. Find out how she died. As Maddie watches the school slowly move on, she does anything she can to find out more about her death. Her best friends Simon and Nicole don’t give up hope that she is still out there somewhere, not dead but hiding. That is, until one night at the school before the memorial for Maddie. Maddie approaches Simon, desperate to make him see her, and he does. They can talk and see each other in the same room. Eventually, they discover that they can only communicate with each other in a room where someone else died. While all of this is happening in the real world, Maddie meets some new people in the spirit world. She meets Charlie, her tour guide who died because of a peanut allergy eating french fries cooked in peanut oil. Wally, the jock who died during his senior year homecoming football game when he was tackled. Dawn, the hippie who died of electric shock in the AV room. Rhonda, the emo girl who was murdered by her guidance counselor. And finally Mr. Martin, a high school chemistry teacher who died in a lab accident. Their goal is to crossover into whatever is next. Charlie and Maddie decide to keep the fact that she can communicate to Simon a secret, because this has never happened before. Simon and Maddie discover multiple things regarding her death. All she can remember is waking up in the boiler room, with blood dripping off of a large metal tank. When she woke up she was missing items, including her phone, and necklace. During a fight in class, Simon discovers Maddie's phone in Xavier’s bookbag. Xavier is Maddie's boyfriend. Or at least he was until they uncovered that he was cheating on her with Clarie, Maddie's ex-best friend. He claims he took her phone to delete a text that he sent on accident to keep her from finding out that he was cheating. As suspicion of Xavier grows, they keep searching. Simon and Maddie find broken pieces of her phone in the old auto shop. They give the piece they found to a teacher they trust, Mr. Anderson, to turn in to the police. A couple days later they are searching for more pieces when they find a suspicious Mr. Anderson on school property late at night. The next day Simon searches his car and finds that he never turned the piece in to the police. In his classroom, Maddie notices a hole in the wall of his closet. They search it and discover thousands of dollars in cash. As it turns out Maddie’s mom, Sandra, was at the school the day she died. Sandra struggles with drinking and addiction, and Maddie is constantly taking care of her. So when she arrived at school Maddie immediately left to meet her, and they began talking in an empty room. Sandra, who is now been through rehab, bought a cabin from someone she met while there and used Maddie's college fund to do it. Maddie is very angry at this because this money was set aside by her father when he died. With all of these suspects and no answers, Maddie keeps searching for more clues. Find out more, by watching School Spirits on Netflix!

Everybody has their “thing” in life. It might be a sport they are amazing at, or a type of art they love, even an instrument they dedicate their time to. My “thing” is baking. For years I have known that I wanted to own a bakery one day, and make a career out of my passion for baking and pastry. I will be attending the Culinary Institute of America in the Fall of 2024 to earn an associates degree in the baking and pastry arts. I grew up around homemade food at family gatherings, and relatives that look to cook and bake as much as I do. They have encouraged me so much to pursue baking and pastry and given me so many tips, tricks, and all the support I needed to help me along the way. My friends and family were some of my first customers, and taste testers. Anytime we got together I would make a dessert for us. It could be anything from lemon cupcakes decorated like little bunnies in grass for Easter, to a cake frosted in cookie dough for my younger sister's 13th birthday, or my best friend's Rapunzel themed 16th birthday and graduation cakes. During the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown I was about to graduate from 8th grade. With all of this extra time on my hands I spent more time baking and trying new techniques. It was a lot of trial and error but I would keep working at it until I figured it out. I made new things like macarons for the first time, learned how to use a cookie press, perfected how I made cake pops, and figured out how to make hot chocolate bombs. I also made an ice cream cake for the first time ever for my sister’s 18th birthday. This is when I realized that I wanted baking to be more than a hobby for me, and pursue it as a career. One thing that has helped me improve my skills has been my culinary classes in the American Culinary Federation Program at the Cecil County School of Technology, which I have attended since the fall of 2022. Through these courses I have learned and accomplished so much. Most recently I passed my ServSafe exam, earning my certification with a 95%. In the spring, my class will also take the ACF written and performance exams. In this class we have learned safety, sanitation, stocks, sauces, dry and wet cooking methods, teamwork, how to prepare catering orders, mass production, communication skills in the kitchen, and the list goes on. The Cecil County School of Technology also provides its students with opportunities and experiences. In the Culinary Arts program we sell pumpkin rolls throughout the year, prepare catering orders for the public, and work under pressure to prepare us for the real world. I have also worked Front of House at my local Chick-fil-A since June of 2022. One of my biggest projects recently has been catering dessert for a wedding. I was hired by a young couple to make their wedding cake as well as 80 cupcakes and I was so excited. I spent time planning out timing, how to deliver the order, shopping lists, pricing, recipes, and working with the couple for decoration and theme. In the end, I have a love and passion for baking and pastry. I have been working on my skills in this area and gaining experience for years now. That is why I am dedicated to pursuing a degree and a career in this field. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I have known for a long time that I have wanted to open my very own bakery one day. I want to own it and run it well, working in the kitchen next to my employees. I am very passionate about the baking and pastry arts. I want to go to a technical school to become a Pastry Chef. I love to bake anything and everything from cookies and cakes, to macarons and eclairs. Pursuing higher education is something I need because some of the classes involved in my degree would include menu planning, food cost, and business management. They would be taught with a food base, and help jumpstart my journey in entrepreneurship and provide me with a technical baking and pastry education. I will be attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for my degree in the Fall of 2024. I have currently worked at my local Chick-fil-A for almost 2 years, learning the best ways to serve guests and provide the best customer service experience. Also, I am in the culinary program at my local technical school where I'm learning basic kitchen skills, sanitation, teamwork, and communication. This is in cooperation with my public high school and I am earning transferable credits to CIA and certifications. I passed my ServSafe exam in the fall, and am taking the ACF certification written and performance exams in the spring. These are necessary certifications for owning and operating foodservice businesses. All of these skills and experiences in my education and classes would help me develop my business. In continuing to build my business I would have help from my community. My father is an entrepreneur and in our small town the Chamber of Commerce is a tight knit team where small businesses meet together and discuss issues they have had with their business, attend leadership seminars, and also help improve the community. This is a group I would love to eventually be a part of and a great opportunity to learn and impact the community. I would like to help my community rise up and grow stronger by planning fundraisers and spirit nights for local schools, providing fun events and family nights to bring the community together, and sponsor things like the County Fair, etc. My business will be based in the county I grew up in, and it will reflect my values and ideals. With all of this together, I believe I can build and develop a small business. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I have known for a long time that I have wanted to open my very own bakery one day. I want to own it and run it well, working in the kitchen next to my employees. I am very passionate about the baking and pastry arts. I want to go to a technical school to become a Pastry Chef. I love to bake anything and everything from cookies and cakes to macarons and eclairs. Pursuing higher education is something I need because some of the classes involved in my degree would include menu planning, food cost, and business management with my kitchen classes. Owning a bakery will allow me to run it my way, and give me the flexibility I want in the future to spend time with my family and friends. My father is an entrepreneur, and I know the road is hard but it's what I want. I want to do things right and base the company around me and my values, so I am working for what I believe in and hopefully help my community as well. I know that I can be an entrepreneur because I have the drive for it. I will do what needs to be done and work for my bakery to be the best it can be. I am putting the work in even now as a high school senior. I work at Chick-fil-A, learning the best ways to serve guests and the best customer service experience. Also, I am in Culinary classes at a local technical school where I'm learning basic kitchen skills, sanitation, teamwork, and communication. The next piece of the puzzle is in-depth baking and pastry training and courses for the management and money side of owning a business. My successful life and business are connected. I want a life with enough flexibility to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip with friends and family, enough money to comfortably support my family (however large or small), and enough time to always be there for the kids I want to have and raise them with my husband. All of that together makes me believe that I can do it. I can own a bakery, do it right, and be successful. I have the determination, passion, and vision for it to be everything I want it to be and more. To build the company and business as a reflection of me and my values, I can do it. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I love my community. I am from a small, rural town in Maryland where everyone knows everyone. In helping my community I am in turn helping my friends and family. I am a part of many different extracurricular activities including the Student Council, National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and I frequently volunteer at Freedom Church. In the Student Council, we do so much around our school. We plan spirit weeks and dances, raise money for our school and events like a Turkey Bowl, and communicate with administrators what the students would like to see changed in our school. I am currently our Student Council Treasurer and dedicate my time to this because I see the benefits in our school building and student morale. We raised money with the gym teachers at our school for new equipment in our weightlifting room, exposing more students to this exercise and helping our student-athletes. In the National Honor Society, I am presented with many opportunities to volunteer my time with more organizations in the community. We run food drives, winter clothing donations, and tree planting committees, and collaborate with businesses in our area like Chick-fil-A for a Spirit Night. Seeing the money we raise and the donations we collect to help our community thrive is amazing. In the National Technical Honor Society, we help educate our community and prospective students on the benefits of trade and vocational programs. I am currently a student in the American Culinary Federation Program and the Cecil County School of Technology and the skills we learn are more than trades skills but life skills like teamwork and communication. With NTHS we made food we served to the public like ham and cheese sliders, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries, etc. We also run an anti-bullying poster contest to share with the school the dangers of bullying and what we can do to prevent and stop bullying, which I have experienced. I love this organization because it can help keep kids from experiencing what I experienced in being bullied, and educate them on things I wish I had known about trade/vocational programs. Finally, the last major organization I volunteer with is Freedom Church. This is my local Christian Church that I have volunteered with for over 7 years now. I have helped with child care during sermons and church services for kids of all ages, but mainly 3-5-year-olds. Freedom Church has held Kids Camps and Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) for as long as I can remember. I used to attend them, and now I volunteer and work with kids to teach them about Christ as I was taught. I volunteer here almost every Sunday and will continue to for as long as I can because I love teaching the kids about God and seeing them grow in him. Thank you for your time, and I hope I have conveyed just how much I love my community and want to help it grow as much as possible. Have an awesome day!