Junior Lili Townes grew up with an obsession of sharks. Since the winter of eighth grade, she has carried a plush shark keychain with her. She got the keychain during an eighth-grade field trip with her band class to Chicago, and it remains one of her favorite memories of being in the band. Not only is it a memory of that trip, but of her younger self.
“Honestly, [the keychain] represents my younger self,” Lili explained. ”And [it] reminds me that I’m doing what I’m doing to make my younger self happy.”
Although Lili is no longer obsessed with sharks, she carries other things from her childhood into her present. Growing up, she and her friend would have baking competitions where they would bake cupcakes. They would have her friend’s older sister judge the cupcakes and declare a winner, just like in the baking shows.
Now, as a junior in high school, Lili attends the Kent Career Technological Center (KCTC) for its culinary program in hopes of pursuing a career as a pastry chef.
“My favorite thing about KCTC is the environment,” Lili said. “I’ve never actually been into a professional bakery or kitchen so walking in for the first time was an amazing experience. My teacher is very laid back and easy to talk to; I never feel embarrassed asking him for help.”
Lili dreams of owning a bakery someday, and KCTC is helping to set her up for success. Not only does the program teach her how to bake, but it also teaches her the business and customer service side of the food industry.
In her class, she is learning about the business side of the food industry by helping make the food for a student-run bakery and restaurant. This gives her real-life experiences and insight into the responsibilities of managing and cooking for a food establishment. The culinary program is multi-faceted, and Lili plans to carry everything she learns into her future career.
“We just got done building resumes,” Lili explained. “My instructor constantly reminds us of different procedures like sanitation. All the things we learn can be transferred into an actual restaurant or bakery so it’s really important we remember a lot of it.”
As KCTC helps set its students up for success in their future endeavors, Lili takes in her hands-on learning day by day.
Although she has only been attending KCTC for a few months, she has already learned a lot and is considering how she is going to apply everything that she is learning right now to her future. Whether that is in
“Once I get out of college, I want to open my own bakery,” Lili explained. “So I want to take everything that I’m learning right now and transfer that into the business.”
Even though Lili is only a junior in high school, her plans extend beyond college and into her adulthood. She’s not only thinking of the peak of her career but also about how her current program is the beginning of it.
Lili is not only planning her future but making her present the best it can be. By taking KCTC, she has been able to avoid the infamous difficulties of the junior year class load.
One of these classes is one that she has chosen to take every year since sixth grade: band. When fall rolls around, band extends beyond the school day and into the evening with marching band. It is a way for Lili to see a multitude of her friends while giving her an emotional and musical outlet.
“I have built a lot of good relationships in band,” Lili said. “I love the rehearsals for marching band; it helps me take my mind off of the other things going on in my life.”
Music and baking have become a staple in Lili’s life over the past several years. They both help Lili take her mind off of the stressful things in life and help her be herself.
Lili may not be the same person that she was when she started baking or doing music, but they have been a crucial part of her high school experience. She has grown from a shark-obsessed little kid into a junior who is planning the rest of her life day by day.
Although Lili no longer raves about sharks and childhood obsessions, she carries past versions of herself with her in the shape of a plush shark keychain as she plans the next chapters of her life.
“[They teach us] the kinds of things to keep in mind if you want to start your own business,” Lili elaborated. “It’s nice because I feel like [KCTC] is really helping set me up for college and after.”
