A critical incident that took place in my life was when i started taking an advanced culinary course at my High School. I’ve always struggled with doing well in school, I was diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) when i was eight which really effected myself confidence and how i felt towards learning. For a long time I considered myself to be dumb and slow, I had a hard time keeping up with the rest of my classmates with school work. In my sophomore year of High School i signed up for Culinary Arts 101, this class changed my whole outlook on learning and education and helped me come out of my shell.
Throughout school I suffered from ADD, Anxiety, and Depression this made it very difficult for me to succeed in school because i just expected myself to fail anyway. I had no faith in myself and I felt like a failure. So I did what any kid that felt that way would do, I wouldn’t try because why try when you already think you know what the outcome will be. For years and years I did this to myself and one after another every teacher lost faith in me as well, I was labeled a nuisance by them because they thought I was just lazy when really i was struggling with so much. When I started taking this culinary class things started to change, I found that I could do something really well and this made me start to gain confidence. Over the next three years I did the best I eve had in school I even made the Honor Roll a few times which was a big deal for me. I stopped expecting failure from myself and really put forth effort to do well and i did. I also made some really amazing friends in that class people i’m sure will still be apart of my life for years to come.
I’ve had very few teachers that have had an impact on me in a positive way, but my culinary teacher Mr. Sentino really made a difference in my life. He had faith in me when no one else did. I remember one day I had a full on breakdown in his class because I was so stressed about my other classes, he pulled me assigned into his office and just let me cry and tell him all my problems he really listened to me and made me feel like the weight of the world wasn’t on my shoulders anymore. I knew he was always there for me when I needed him and that meant a lot to me. Every teen needs to know that someone sees the potential they have this in my opinion and experience makes a big difference. I’ve become a much better and stronger person because of this class and i don’t know where I’d be today if I’d chosen not to take it. 
http://www.culinaryschools.org/cooking-school-types/kids/cooking-with-children.php
Jessica Ferrigno: My Blog 