Hi, I’m a troubled College student that is trying my best to get through this college and try to remake my classes that I missed out on because I got about two semesters robbed from me. My Academic experience is that important in my eyes and probably not interesting. My Academic goals are to aim for a hospitality management degree aimed towards the Food and beverages section.

     At the moment I don’t have any career experience in the kitchen but learning to work with people is what I’m working on at the moment. I work at a Vape Shop that is the only Vape Shop in New York that owns a liquor license making it into a vape and bar lounge. Working at this vape shop allows me to learn how people react to long waits, busy atmospheres, rudeness that may be thrown at us employees and how to accept and go around it, and how to act professionally selling products. 

What I’m trying to aim for is to open my own food truck. To travel around sharing my food out to the people. To show the people I cook and the different types of cultures I like to fusion with. Before I open a food truck I’m aiming to get an associate or a bachelor degree in Hospitality Management to become a chef. 

     My strongest strength is that I can Multitask. Being able to multitask would be a great professional attribute because in a kitchen you can’t just focus on just one plate or dish until it’s done to start the other dish. To be able to multitask while cooking saves time and doesn’t lose a customer because of the long wait. 

Last summer I interned for the NYC Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program Corporate Office, where I manage daily reports from SNAP centers across and maintain files for SNAP executives to ensure proper statistical analysis. Currently, I attend New York City College of Technology majoring in Hospitality Management with a focus in culinary arts. Last year, I explored the field of organic agriculture, fabric arts, and animal husbandry at the White- Violet Center for Eco-justice in Indiana. I worked in a 320 acre of forestland and a 5-acre organic garden tending to alpacas and maintaining crops in high tunnels for harvesting. I also volunteered at a local food pantry providing families in need with groceries.

My interest in food justice began when I became curious about the impact  food choices have on health outcomes in low-income communities. I dug deeper into the food-related issues affecting the Bronx and noticed that many neighborhoods are flooded with processed foods from fast-food chains. For the past seven years, the Bronx has been classified as the unhealthiest county in New York State and one of the poorest.

Each of my volunteer experiences has exposed me to new ways of improving the landscape of underserved communities. As a Food Security Advocate, I connected students with farmers’ markets, SNAP, and other programs that would help them become more food secure and empower them to take control of their health. I volunteered at New York Common Pantry, Edible School Yard, and The Coalition for Healthy School Food, to change the unhealthy food culture in schools. I also interned for Bronx District 87 as a policy researcher and introduced a farm-to-school proposal to change the way children eat. The proposal combined agriculture and education to lower food-insecurity and obesity rates in NYC.

Having experienced food insecurity at a young age. I believe it is important to attend to the immediate needs of the people while also empowering them to take exercise their choice to challenge unhealthy food cultures. One of my goals is to create a guide/cookbook as a resource for SNAP recipients to learn about the food pantries, farmers markets, and incentives that are accessible with their EBT. To also provide recipes that will be nutritious, inexpensive, and flavorful. I believe reforming our current systems of inequality begins giving people in need a helping hand and tools to help them thrive. With that philosophy is how I approach community engagements and service work. Upon graduating, I intend to obtain my Masters degree in Culinary Nutrition and write a cookbook focused on plant based cuisine. I plan on converting my abilities and experiences where I can supply change in a space I am passionate about.

It is always said that life after high school is always tricky. I definitely couldn’t agree more. My name is Taylor Gamble , I’m 18 years old and this my second semester of my freshman year. I came from such a tight knit high school that made my transition into college very difficult. I was often guided and had my hand held for 4 years. I never really learned the importance of deadlines and dedication to your career, until it was too late.
I decided to be a Hospitality major with a focus in Culinary Management because cooking is my passion. Many may find it hard to believe that a 6 year old can learn from watching. A fried shrimp. That was the first thing I ever created. As time went on and I became aware of different cultures and their foods , I began mixing them. Curry Alfredo. Being able to bring joy onto someone by having a well executed dish ? Priceless. My road to figuring out which school would set me in the right direction was complex. I was offered scholarships to CIA and a few SUNY schools for Culinary , but City Tech had me drawn in . The opportunity to stay in the city was amazing, so I took it , but like any “ Fresh out of High school” student , I made mistakes.
This is my second time taking this course and it’s , without a doubt , a little embarrassing. However , it’s taught me that my weakness when learning is obtaining too many key points. I can’t learn if everything is thrown at me at once , I need a breakdown. I need to feel comfortable with my knowledge in the subject before moving on to a new one. I also learned that my strength is taking good notes. While I have a hard time gaining knowledge in excessive amounts, I can take notes to help me understand more. The more connections I can make ( self ,world ,etc ) it helps me have my own personal understanding.

I believe at one point in life, we all have heard the saying, “ Life is what you make it” right? Well! I have, and I am a strong believer of that. To me, life is a precious gift, and so is time. I learned  to appreciate, love, and cherish each and every moment and make the best of my day. I know many of us have goals, but goals are nothing without a solid plan. Having a plan in place is a great start, and keep in mind, time management is key.

As for me, I know what I want in life. I set goals, and execute each one at my own pace. Time wasted cannot be regain and this one of the reason why I made the decision to go back to school. I want to graduate with my BA degree, then go on to be the best version of me. Also, I want that to be a great examples for my children. As far as my major, I choose hospitality management because of my love for cooking, traveling, and my hope of becoming an entrepreneur/owning my very own restaurant one day.

Providing comfort and great hospitality is truly one of my specialty. I love bringing people together, just to catch up/reconnect, share our ideas, and so on… Oftentimes, I find myself putting together a nice dinner, accompanied with dessert, wine, great joy and lots of laughter. To me, that’s very therapeutic. I mean, “ what’s a better way to get folks together? ”

Food is undeniably the one thing that connects people best, it is a universal language of its own. My plan is to keep a positive attitude, focus on my goals, and continue on with this journey. There’s no better feeling waking up everyday knowing you’re doing what you truly love, sound simple, but yet it can add tremendous meanings to your life. The joy and satisfaction coming from that makes it all worth it.

Hello. I am a returning college student, currently in the second semester of my first year. My academic experience has not been a consistent one, due to personal reasons that transpired during my last year of high school. As time had passed, I recognized the need for a college education/degree. I absolutely do not regret my years of not being in school, as I had the opportunity, and time, to gain valuable work experiences that have since inspired me to pursue Hospitality Management as a possible career path.

During the past few years, I was able to invest all of my time into working full time jobs. My very first job was at an Italian bakery for almost the entirety of my high school career. Since then, I’ve had various jobs in different cafes, and have been in assistant management, supervisor, and management positions. In these positions, I trained employees, ordered inventory, organized for payroll, managed social media accounts, etc. I feel comfortable handling matters regarding customer service, employee disputes, and brainstorming solutions to increase sales. My strengths are strongest when I feel confident and passionate. I genuinely enjoy the job that I have, and deeply value the jobs that I’ve had. When I enter into a new place of work, I am eager and willing to learn- regardless of the experiences that I have had. I believe that my unassuming, yet ambitious attitude is an advantage that allows me to progress in any workspace.

When I was 15, I did not even imagine that I would interested in pursuing a career in the food service industry, but what started as a part-time job in high school became a passion. Although I’ve had years of experience, I will continue to educate myself through my studies, and through acquiring new skills. I know that there is so much left for me to learn.

Hello everyone, my name is Lucchy. This is my second shot at this school, my first time around I really did not take it serious. During that time I decided not to do anything about registering, because I failed miserably so I decided to take an unlimited time gap. So I decided to work and take time for myself and grow at my own pace. Everything went well but my gap lasted two years too long and decided to go back to school. I registered to Kingsborough Community College and I must this was great choice for me I first dabbled in Radiology but decided to go to Accounting instead. The professors treated each student like family and it was great. So came time to leave and I decide to come back a second time around and join Hospitality as an experience to see if I could my place in it. Wish me luck!

Lucchy Joseph

 My name is Talia Fisher , I am 18. I currently work at the atrium learning center in New York City College of Technology  , and also I have a 2nd job working as a paraprofessional in the NYCDOE. Growing up I always thought that nursing is something I wanted to do, but I was wrong. Coming to college made me realize how much nursing wasn’t realistic for me. I didn’t have the drive I use to have when it came to wanting to be a nurse or a doctor. I explored  came to terms on what I really wanted to do, and that was traveling to different countries to critique foods. Just thinking about it makes me so driven to accomplish it. That’s when I realize hospitality management was for me.

I think one of my greatest strengths is communicating and helping others. This will definitely contribute to this major and future job.

I hope , that in the future I will be able to accomplish this goal and to be very very successful.

Bryanna Dennis 

Transitioning from high school to college wasn’t easy. I came from High School of Fashion Industries, studying Fashion Design. Growing up, I always had a strong passion for fashion and I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer. Throughout high school, I started to dislike fashion and wanted to study something else, a career that would support my family and I. I then applied to City Tech and their nursing department. My first semester started off well. I was on track, getting my assignments in on time, passing tests, etc… By the midterm, things took a turn and I fell off. At the end of the semester, I knew my grades weren’t good enough for the nursing program, so I chose to change my major to Hospitality and Management. When I had classes in the new building, I would look out the window straight ahead and see students with the chef uniforms. It sparked my interest. At home, I didn’t do much cooking, but when I did, my family would go crazy over it. I knew I had talent that I must take a deeper look into. I did some research on Hospitality and Management, this major offered a lot of opportunities and knowledge that I’d love to partake in. For the spring 2020 semester, I left the nursing program for good, and moved onto Hospitality and Management. This semester I hope to learn about many cultures and their history with food and traveling.

My name is David Bentzler. To give a little information about myself, I spent roughly 2 years in BMCC with a near 4.0 gpa prior to attending City Tech, that being said it was a bit dated compared to starting at City Tech.

After those 2 years I committed to working full time in the industry where I’ve spent the last 7 years working front of house. I was also able to attend International Culinary Center’s Intensive 10 week Sommelier Course after having worked there for a few years prior to them closing their front end restaurant, L’Ecole. I received my certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Since that moment I feel in love with beverage as a category but more specifically bartending. Bartending to me is something special, it’s equal parts rock star mixed with behind the scenes alchemy in the pursuit of liquid gold, while being what people need, when they need it and being a poet waxing and waning into people’s lives hopefully at the right times.

The bar is a fire place and my home, where I invite you in to come around, share your stories, and I do all within my power to give you the best date of your life or be the friend you need. To keep this short, bartending is a bridge between industries and worlds. It’s a beautiful thing and you once you start learning about beverage, you become aware of how much educational intersection there is.

My future goals are to take beer more serious, cause it doesn’t interest me a whole lot at the moment and get certified now as a Cicerone. As to personal strengths I’d argue the strongest is my ability to connect people and draw them in when I turn it on. It sometimes feels like a magic but the bar is a place for people to have an experience and not just a drink which is what I set out for. I love any and everyone who sets at my bar. It’s all about the hospitality.

Thank you all for taking the moment to read this. Cheers.

Starting college is a huge transition for a young adult, you have an idea of where you going but not exactly how to get there. Halfway through you may find out that the idea you had may not be exactly what you thought it was or that it’s not for you. After three schools later and three different majors I can tell you I’ve done my share of exploring. It wasn’t until I started working with people and learning customer service that I found myself gravitating to helping others and enjoying it. Learning how to communicate, empathize, have patience, and deliver service is the main ingredient to being successful in helping people.

I started baking about 7 years ago on and off just as a hobby, I found myself in love every time I created something, it became my passion. The more I did it the better I became and decided to work full time in the industry. Along with baking also came planning which in combination enhanced the feeling. Now I work both jobs and I never been so enlightened. Seeing how in your creation and hard work you can bring joy into someone else’s life is priceless.

I am now enrolled in City Tech for Hospitality Management and I have never been so sure of where I’m heading, it feels as if it’s the perfect time and at the perfect place. I aim to perfect my craft both practical and academic. Learning the science behind it as well as the business portion. My goal is to one day open my own business in Catering.