After graduating from RPI in 2009 with a B.S. in Management, I went on to my first year of law school. This had always been the plan, I was in an accelerated law program at RPI. I opted out of the program because I found that if I really pushed my Junior year I would be able to graduate after only three years. I took five courses, worked 20-30 hours a week at the Admissions office, sang in my a cappella group about 6 hours a week, went to an LSAT review class 10 hours a week, and tried to get my school work and LSAT studying done. I let concert choir drop, that was the only thing to fall out of the schedule, and I still wasn't happy about it.
Singing a solo with the a cappella group, Partial Credit.
The RPI Concert Choir, last on the left.
The fiance at I after graduating from RPI, May 2009.
After a truly miserable few months, I made it happen. I was accepted at Hofstra Law School, moved back home to my parents and started attending classes in August of 2010, all before I reached my 21st birthday. My older sister was also still at home working in retail and looking for better work that would utilize her graphic design degree. We decided to take the first Wilton cake decorating course at our local Michaels for fun. I had always loved to bake and had a dream in the back of my head that I would own a bakery one day.
You can always find me in the kitchen at a party
I stuck it out in law school for a year and then finally decided that it just wasn't for me. What to do now? My fiance lived in Maryland and I lived in New York, my parents weren't keen on me moving there until we were married. I researched other graduate programs, searched for a job, and nothing really called to me until I stumbled across the website for the Culinary Academy of Long Island (CALI). I had never heard of it, but the tour was awesome, the teacher amazing, and I hadn't been so excited in a very long time. My wonderful parents agreed. I was able to ditch law school after one semester and then entered into a program that would give me certification as a professional pastry chef. It was the best decision I ever made and I loved every minute of it.
So there it all began, my road as a pastry chef started at the first Wilton cake decorating class I took with my sister. I decorated my first cake in February of 2011, and I've got to say, it wasn't half bad. If I hadn't taken that course, I'm not sure I would have ever really considered culinary school as a viable option. Here is the cake I brought on the bus to Maryland to give my fiance for Valentine's day. People really are so friendly to you when you're traveling with anything that appears to be food.
