photo by Sandi Yanisko
Kimberly Spruill, 34, of Jenkintown, gave the computer industry a dozen years of her life.
“I lost the desire to work in the field any longer,” the former New Yorker said. “I decided to pursue cooking. I always liked cooking and entertaining, and I decided to make the change before it’s too late.”
Montgomery County Community College was a convenient, nearby, and affordable way to make a career change.
“The scholarship I received from CulinArt (through the Montgomery County Community College Foundation) helped a great deal,” she said. “There weren’t many scholarships available, geared towards this field. Due to the fact that I am a nontraditional student and that I reached the maximum amount of student loans I could receive from the federal government, the $1,000 scholarship I received relieved me of a major financial burden. I could now focus on class and school as opposed to trying to figure out how to pay for classes.”
The College also gave her several internship and volunteer opportunities to practice her catering skills: “gigs” at catering companies and the Sheraton and volunteer work for Montgomery County Community College. “We did the Oktoberfest at the Downingtown Country Club, where we prepared bratwurst from scratch. We also catered a board meeting in the beginning of November and made gingerbread cookies for a staff member’s holiday party.”
Spruill recently became a member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and has been named to the dean’s list.
Right now, Spruill works as a sales engineer at Motorola full time and part time at a Layfayette Hill retirement community.
After she graduates in May 2013 with her associate’s degree in culinary arts, she hopes to own and operate her own catering business and ultimately, her own restaurant.
Each year, alumni, corporate partners, and friends give generously to the Montgomery County Community College Foundation. As a result, hundreds of students are awarded scholarships through the Foundation.
~ by Neree Aron-Sando
Think Success 