SLIDESHOW: SSCC's Gifts from the Earth raises $210,000; Student Candis Outsen spoke about how her life was changed through education
As a young mother, Candis Outsen lost her job and felt somewhat lost. After some serious soul searching, she discovered that her true passion in life was cooking. As she puts it, cooking and bringing people together “ignited her fire.”
Outsen, a student in SSCC's Culinary Arts program was a featured speaker at the college's annual Gifts from the Earth fundraising dinner Jan. 25. SSCC announced that the event raised $210,000, a new record in its eleven-year history.
Financing the pursuit of her dream was going to be difficult but she earned a scholarship that has allowed her to continue on her professional path – and has made the Dean’s List along the way.
"Since I enrolled here a whole new world has opened up for me," Outsen said. "I'm doing things I never thought I would. During my first three quarters at South I made the Dean's list three times and maintained a 3.8 GPA and I participated in an honors competition class. I also established a student organization called the "Culinary Council", she explained whose purpose is to represent culinary students acting as a liaison to instructors.