Recent graduate, pills Aceya Johnson has dreams of opening her own bakery and becoming a pastry chef. Always a fan of sweet treats, price Johnson says she wants to learn how to make the many different desserts she has tried since she was small.
Johnson graduated this June from John Marshall High with a 3.0 GPA. She has been making the honor roll every semester since she was in middle school. “I’m dedicated to my school work and to maintaining good grades,” Johnson wrote in her personal essay.
“Aceya is a kind, genuine, bright young woman. She is a very hard worker, a student who has always challenged herself,” Camilla Battle, high school counselor, said. Johnson says this is because her mother always kept her and her younger siblings on track. “My mom has pushed me to move forward,” Johnson said. “She pushed me by staying on top of my school work, and house chores.”
While at John Marshall she was manager of the boys’ wrestling team for 2 years and a member of track and field during her freshman year. Johnson made it a point to do well in her school courses and participate in extra curricular activities.
During high school she also participated and was a member in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Outside of school Johnson volunteered at her Neighborhood Resource Center, where she raised money for farm stand.
While taking her core classes Johnson also took classes that introduced her to her passion of cooking. “I’m interested in bakery because when I was little I tried many different desserts that I wanted to learn how to bake,” Johnson wrote in her personal essay.
Johnson says she wants to become a pastry chef versus a standard chef, because it will allow her to explore different parts of desserts. She says there is a whole other curriculum that you learn while being a pastry chef that standard chefs don’t learn.
In the fall, Johnson will be attending Virginia College located in Richmond, Va. She says this is a good start for her since it is close to home and will be easy transportation. While there she plans on studying culinary arts or business management. After completing her two years at Virginia College she plans on transferring to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. There she hopes to study culinary arts in food service to become a pastry chef
Johnson says that she would like to own her own bakery. Her bakery would feature fondant cakes, cupcakes and cake pops. Although, currently she only bakes the basics like cakes and brownies, she says she still likes to try new things as well.
