“At 16, I got pregnant and dropped out of high school to give birth to my beautiful daughter. I tried to go back to school many times, but with a new baby, it was really hard. Four years later I had another baby, my son, and decided I needed to put my life together, not only for my children, but also for myself. I want my children to have a better life than I ever had. I want to be able to provide for them and give them everything they want. That’s when I heard about the Rancho Cielo program. A friend of mine attended and encouraged me to apply.
Now I learn new things every other week from Chef Patrick and Chef Crystal. I am so eager and excited for school each day—this is definitely something new and different, because I never used to be excited to wake up at six a.m. to go to school! The people at Rancho Cielo are so welcoming and kind. I’ve never met people who wanted to help me so much and actually pushed me to come to school every day. I feel so proud when Chef Patrick tells me and my group that we made the best sauce—it makes me feel like I am actually doing something right. I can't wait to graduate from Drummond Culinary Academy and see what the future holds for me and my family.”
