By Theresa O’Connor
Most people have probably heard of making banana bread in quarantine or some of you may have even attempted to make the infamous whipped coffee, but junior Kelly Clark has taken baking to a whole other level. Over the summer, Kelly took the initiative to apply as an intern to Sweet Dee’s Bakeshop. She was planning to wait until college to have a job, but she knew she could not pass up an opportunity to work at this bakery!
She learned from TPA that she must take action for something she wants to do rather than waiting for it. Kelly also says, “TPA has taught me the importance of asking questions when I am confused. Rather than struggling through something to save myself the ‘embarrassment’ of not knowing, I ask the head baker what I should do so that I can learn for the next time!” She also has found out not to show up to a senior thesis meeting after work as her hair was filled with powdered sugar! She started working in July for five to seven hours a day for two weeks. Now, she works five hours on Saturdays.
While working her internship at the bakery, she baked cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, and cookies and she made over 100 mini cakes during a Harry Potter-themed week! Sounds pretty cool right? She definitely achieved her goal of wanting to decorate better: for one entire day, she sat down by herself and practiced constantly with piping icing.
Kelly admits that during the Harry Potter week, she was holding onto the piping bag for so long that her hand became frozen and she could not buckle her seat belt! Other than learning not to hold the piping bag for too long, Kelly has learned patience when it comes to decorating as she was frustrated at first, but then she became confident and is now patient with everything she does.
When Kelly was five, she became interested in baking. Whether it was baking cookies with her grandma, or creating birthday cakes with her dad, she was always in the kitchen. During this quarantine, Kelly even started an online business on Instagram. She has been selling baked goods to friends and students and she even made a batch of 2021 decorated cookies for her classmates! She has grown in skill and technique to the point that she can memorize her own recipes and sometimes bake without a recipe. She has gained the experience of knowing how different ingredients work and taste together.
Kelly hopes to attend college in Ontario, Canada and earn her BA in psychology and a teaching certificate in elementary education. As she is attending college in Canada, she hopes to work at a local bakery and in her second year, run a bakery food truck! After she graduates, she then wants to open her own bakeshop and teach. Kelly Clark definitely has a bright future ahead of her, so good luck to Kelly and her baking aspirations!