Heidi Mann knew that there was something for her outside of her hometown in “middle of nowhere, Wyoming.” As much as she loved where she grew up, she knew she had to search for an education elsewhere in order to reach her full potential.
When she was denied a scholarship to study sign language from her dream school in Texas, Heidi didn’t want to take on student debt; but she knew she needed to do something to start her adult life out on the right foot. Heidi had taken culinary classes as an elective in high school, so when her culinary teacher learned she was looking for something to do post-graduation, she suggested Heidi research the Job Corps’ Culinary Arts program. It ended up being the perfect fit!
Twelve days after graduating from high school, Heidi moved away from the only home she had known and arrived at the Weber Basin Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Utah, where she joined the Culinary Arts training program. Though it wasn’t her dream college in Texas, she was ready to make the most of this free opportunity.
“I was afraid that, if I didn’t start immediately, I would take too many breaks and I would never create a career for myself. It was a quick decision, but one I knew I needed to make,” Heidi said. While most people don’t even go to college less than two weeks after graduating from high school, she knew there was no sense in wasting time. Culinary was an interest she had in high school, but she had much to learn if she wanted to make a career out of it.
“I wanted to learn how to decorate desserts and become a sugar artist,” she said. Heidi quickly took on more responsibilities at Weber Basin Job Corps and became her Culinary Arts class’s sous chef and the floor president for her dormitory. Growing up in a small town, Heidi was unfamiliar with these types of opportunities; but she said it was “fun like I never expected.” She also established great relationships with her instructors and the chefs she learned under. “They always supported me, and now that I have graduated, they text me to check in. I even have one instructor that I still turn to for advice. I can call them at 2 a.m. when I am working on a cake, and they will walk me through it.”
Job Corps also gave Heidi the chance to connect with people she had never met before in her small town. “I met people from all over the country, from all walks of life. I learned what was out there and how to advocate for myself. I never would have gotten that kind of exposure had I not been a Job Corps student.”
She learned even more when she arrived in San Francisco to study in the Advanced Culinary Arts program at Treasure Island Job Corps. “I took full advantage of my time in San Francisco. I explored every inch of that city because I knew I might not have a chance to live in a city like this again.”
While at Treasure Island, she did a work-based learning experience at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. “That was my absolute favorite experience at Job Corps,” she said. “What I learned there was invaluable, and I have brought those skills into starting my own business.” Thanks to Job Corps’ allowing students to live on campus for free, Heidi was able to save money while working for the Ritz-Carlton and was able to set herself up nicely when she returned to her hometown.
Due to COVID-19, Heidi had to graduate virtually from home; but that didn’t slow her down. She is happily back in her hometown in Wyoming, recently purchased her own car, moved into her own apartment, and has even become a small-business owner thanks to her cake and dessert-making business. She creates a variety of desserts for weddings, birthdays, baby showers and other events in her area.
In the next few years, Heidi hopes to continue to grow her business and expand across Wyoming. She thinks there is a chance she will go back to school, but for now she is gladly focusing on where she is now. Her best advice? “Don’t take anything for granted. And remember, every popcorn pops at a different time. Your time will come.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: 2021 Employer: Owner, Cake Decorating Company, Wyoming Hometown: Wyoming Submitted by: Sellars Huy Notes:
Source: Center Submission