Meet Samuel Parsons
by Maralyn Fink
I first met Samuel from an ad he placed on a bulletin board as a dog walker. I contacted him and found out he was in my neighborhood, so he has been my dog walker for quite awhile.
Samuel is a junior at St. Johns High School and a soft spoken young man.
In a conversation, he told me that he was able to attend a Culinary School in Mason. I asked how this all came about. He heard about the program from a friend in his youth group.
Samuel says it was a long process of checking his classes to make sure he would have his requirements figured out and fill out an application. He attends classes every day of the week driving to Mason. The hours replace his 3rd, 4th and 5th hours here at the high school. He earns elective credits here and also earns college credits. He is thankful that the school system here has allowed him to chase his dream.
In this course he learns everything about the culinary world from knife cuts to managing a restaurant. The course is a 1 year or 2 year course. If he completes the 2 year program he can earn as many as 22 credits. This is made possible from Capital Area Career Center. Samuel’s plans are to attend a college to study Culinary arts and business management after graduation.
His extra activities include BPA, French Club, Book Club, Spring Chess, Pro Start, FCCLA and The National Technical Honor Society. He also volunteers with his youth groups thru the Nazarene Church and Senior Center.
When asked what he would like to see happen from his experience, he says that he would like The St Johns School district to form with Capital Area Career Center for other students that might be interested in any of their many offered courses.
I know that Samuel will finish his dream, and someday we might be surprised where we might find him as a Chef.
I haven’t been able to taste his cuisine yet, but I know the day will come when I will. Good job, Samuel.