Not many of us can say we knew what career we wanted at the age of 10, but Sheila DeJesus can.
“By the time I was 10 I knew that I wanted to be a Pastry Chef,” said DeJesus. “That is what got me interested in Questar III’s Culinary Arts program.” Her dream job is to own her own bakery or café.
DeJesus, a senior from Hudson High School, is on her way to fulfilling that dream. She is about to graduate from the Culinary Arts program at the Columbia Greene Educational Center in Hudson, NY. Recently, DeJesus was awarded with a scholarship to help pay for college.
Her academic excellence and community service contributed to DeJesus being selected as one of the 2016 recipients of the Giddings Foundation Scholarship. The Alice & Murray Giddings Foundation awards scholarships to seniors from public school districts in Columbia County who demonstrate “leadership, community service, and high academic standing.” In order to apply for this scholarship, students must be nominated by their school districts.
This fall, DeJesus plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America, located just down the road from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home and presidential library in Hyde Park, NY. She will be enrolled in the Baking and Pastry Arts program.
“The thing I enjoy the most about culinary arts is the creative freedom I can have,” expressed DeJesus. “My greatest accomplishment, both personally and professionally, is when I made a Mother’s Day cake for my mother last year during my culinary class. I was even able to write a message for her in Spanish.”
For part of her work-based learning project, Sheila helped the Food Services Department at her home school district, Hudson. “I spent a week packing lunches for the John L. Edwards Primary School After School Program, serving lunch to students in the Junior/Senior High School, and helping clean the equipment and utensils afterward,” she said.
DeJesus conveyed that her experiences at Questar III provided her with a strong foundation to be successful in college and in her future career. From her work-based learning project at her home school district to the certifications she earned while still in high school, she feels she will have an edge when she enters the Culinary Institute of America. DeJesus has already received the deli slicer certification as well as a CPR certification. Furthermore, DeJesus has already passed the ServSafe® examination, which is required as part of the Baking and Pastry Arts program at the Institute. She is likely one of few who have met this requirement even before graduating from high school.
“The impact that Questar III’s Culinary Arts program has had on my life is that it has helped me become more responsible and able to manage my time better,” said DeJesus. “It has also made me a more generous person thanks to all the volunteer work I’ve done at Questar III. More importantly, it helped solidify that this is the right path for me.”
