Essence rejoined our team as a Bakery Assistant at our Saint Paul bakery after graduating from Johnson High School in May. Essence was a part of our 2nd pilot program at Johnson High School in 2017, prior to our Saint Paul bakery opening. Essence says she rejoined the Cookie Cart team because, “I like how they work for the youth and I wanted to learn more life skills. And I missed working with the people. The staff is all friendly and nice.” Aside from the people, Essence’s favorite thing about working at Cookie Cart are, “all the events and the stuff we plan to help the community. And I love the cookies and the opportunities we have.”

Essence was chosen as Rising Star by her managers because she’s shown great improvement in her skills over the last couple of months. “Essence is one of the most consistent Bakery Assistants in terms of her efficiency and timeliness. She brings a sense of initiative to the bakery by not being afraid to tackle some of the more daunting tasks that she is asked to do. We’re all excited to see her continue to grow.”

Essence credits her success to her planning skills. Whether it’s a written or mental list, Essence says “I think of multiple ways to get things done, not just one way, so I can adjust and do the best I can do.” Her planning skills and hard work will come in handy when Essence starts attending Century College in the fall. “I hope to become a marriage and family therapist because I love to help people and talk to them about their problems.”
The most important skill Essence has learned at Cookie Cart is, “to communicate more and to ask questions. I didn’t like to ask questions before, but they taught me to communicate and ask for what I need.” Essence’s advice for her peers on how they can become Rising Star is to “be yourself and don’t give up on things even though they might get hard.” 

Congratulations Essence on being a Rising Star!
We are grateful for your hard work and are proud of all your accomplishments!