Scholarship Stories

Read some of the great stories from our ProStart Scholars.

Joseph Charbel

University of Dayton

I hope to make the restaurant/foodservice/hospitality industry better by incorporating innovative technologies that will have a positive impact on industry businesses. I plan to utilize my creative analytics training to formulate ways in which process automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence may be combined with existing infrastructure to improve processes and develop better industry insights. The creative implementation of these transformative topics will be vital to keeping the restaurant/foodservice/hospitality industry at the cutting edge of innovation and fostering future growth.

Taylor Coen

Johnson & Wales University

I would love to develop desserts that everyone can enjoy. I plan on spending at least 5-10 years in a recipe development kitchen, working on foods for a variety of diets. From vegan to gluten-free, I want to bring desserts to the table that are delicious while still being safe for the consumers, because there aren’t enough people working on making GOOD foods for people on restricted diets. The food is out there but it’s honestly mediocre at best in most cases. I want to be the one that changes that.

Dustin Everton

Missouri State University – Springfield

Through my experience in the Hospitality industry, I have witnessed many service managers come and go, be promoted and demoted, transferred and relocated, etc. From this, I also have watched many great employees and staff members come and go. The employee aspect of this is what I plan to change. The great employees that I watched leave great establishments, was not from the job itself but because of the leaders of the staff. I plan to use my education and experience to provide a great staff with a great leader that will support them through both good days and bad.

Jessica Henson

The Culinary Institute of America

Recently, people have begun to take notice of how their eating habits impact the world. With the rise in hydroponics, aquaponics, and vertical farms, more and more people are gaining access to fresh ingredients at a reasonable cost and with less environmental impact. One of the bachelor’s concentrations I’m considering is farm-to-table, and working to help close this gap is something I’m hoping to help with.

Bailey Crouch

University of Missouri – Columbia

I want to discover ways to alter foods that will allow people with food allergies and special diets to eat anything they want without fear of a reaction. Some of my friends rarely eat at a restaurant because of their specific allergies and diets and the possibility of serious health consequences. They are my motivation for solving this problem for them and others. I plan to spend my career researching the chemical composition of foods that create allergies and health issues like diabetes, so those problematic components can be removed from the foods allowing those afflicted to eat freely.

Hannah Moyles

East Carolina University

I hope to make a career in the restaurant/foodservice/hospitality industry a more viable and visible option for young people getting into the workforce, especially young women. I myself benefit from and so greatly appreciate the mentorship offered by both my mentors at school and work. This mentorship has been so formative in both allowing me the confidence to grow and explore the industry as well as the wisdom to overcome any challenges I may face. There is nothing I want more than to become a mentor for young female chefs looking for their own places in the industry.