My Scholarship Essay, for your enjoyment

I Have a Dream
By Lindsey Bivens

It was a sunny Saturday morning on a little street in a town of no more than 4,000 people. A little girl wakes up and jumps out of bed in her Strawberry Shortcake pajamas with a grin from ear to ear because today is a very special day. The night before, this little blond three year old and her mom baked wonderful chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies that were bound to wrangle in each and every customer at the garage sale event of the summer in front of their home. Forget the fact that the customers were there to find great deals on slightly used items, she decided that the real reason the customers came were for the cookies. So after pulling on her clothes and her mom putting her hair in pig tales, Lindsey’s Kool-Aide and Cookie Store was officially open for business and with each purchase that day you received a one of a kind maple leaf that was handpicked from the yard out back by the owner herself.
It’s amazing how life can change since the day this photo was taken. Days turn into weeks, then into months and years then suddenly you realize that the dream you once had may no longer be the case. Just being in the kitchen creating treats for family and friends to share fills my memories throughout childhood. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they took a bite of a freshly baked apple pie or started their second slice of fluffy chocolate cake, it was always worth every minute that it took to make. Granted there were inventions within the kitchen that didn’t always turn out the way they were supposed to, like the roast that made the whole family sick, but we try not to talk about it. But as each year passed, suddenly becoming a veterinarian or maybe even a scientist took over for the dream of a pastry chef. And so making Lindsey’s Kool-Aide and Cookie store would only be a memory until many years later.
It would be a little over a year ago it suddenly became clear what path my life was taking. On the road of corporate responsibilities and piles of paperwork, I struggled for a bit more creativity in life. Did I still have a dream? And if so was it too late? So many of the people that I had gone to school with were already in the midst of joining the workforce, while doing things they loved. At least I knew what I would do when I retired! I had decided that when retirement finally came I would open a bakery in a little coastal town, just making people happy each and everyday with a cupcake and a smile. It wasn’t until someone asked, “Why wait?” and that’s when the dreams of a small little girl came flooding back ready to become a reality.
So why come to school when so many have simply opened a bakery at the drop of a hat, with no previous training? Only because there is no reason to do something unless you are willing to go all the way to the top. With each moment I have the privilege to be a Western Culinary Institute student, I receive unsurpassed education that will prepare me for anything and give me one step above the rest. Only having previous training in the privacy of a household kitchen, I look for the detailed training to excel me into the workforce so that one day I am standing behind a display case full of colorful treats in a bakery I can call my own.
After receiving the respected associate’s degree and taking the leap into the pastry world I look forward to mastering my skills from baking the finest loaf of bread to sculpting a masterful sugar showpiece while continuing the education process every step of the way. Completing this while creatively carving my niche in the pastry community through the next five years, I will continue on to establish a bakery of my very own using the best skills that have been accumulated throughout the journey. A bakery that while creative in every way draws in the surrounding community to establish a core customer base and community support, never forgetting that the smallest chocolate chip cookie is just as important as the biggest wedding cake.
So now I can truly say that I do have a dream, and I am on the path to making it a reality. And as proud as those around me are for taking these steps, I am finally proud of myself for being able to answer the age old question of “What I want to be when I grow up”. So while Lindsey’s Kool-Aide and Cookie stand may have been a fun idea at the time, that little idea has grown in leaps and bounds and is now the building block towards a future that I can’t wait to start.