Many of us have a distinct moment or two that we often reflect upon and name as the influential points that led us to our careers paths. Shanese Benally had one of those moments after attending the National Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Competition in 2012, an experience that helped her decide to pursue a career in Culinary Arts. Shanese and five other DPS classmates had the opportunity to participate in the Competition after being awarded United Airlines Travel Funds by the DPS Foundation’s A to Z Fund, underwriting the travel to Las Vegas for these aspiring students.
While in Las Vegas, students competed in Knife Skills, Chicken Fabrication and other culinary contests. The students arrived ready to impress! Shanese received 1st place in the Chicken Fabrication event, Paola Barrios placed 2nd in the Knife Skills event and Marshawn Robinson placed 3rd in the knife skills event! The students were charged up with energy and had full confidence in their skills after attending the Competition.
Shanese a DPS student who identifies as being Navajo now has a goal of opening up restaurants on various Indian Reservations that provide a fun place for teenagers and young adults to eat well while providing a popular mix of popular culture recipes as well as traditional food items.
It was the experience of a lifetime for all students and was particularly special for two students who had never had the opportunity to fly on an airplane before. These are the types of experiential learning opportunities that your support for the DPS Foundation and the A to Z Fund helps make possible. The fall 2013 A to Z Fund recipients have just been announced, visit our blog to read more. We look forward to sharing more stories from the fall funding cycle over the next few weeks. To learn more about the DPS Foundation A to Z Fund please visit here.