Youthentity Alumni Awarded Prestigious James Beard Foundation National Scholarship
August 25, 2023 – Carbondale, CO -- Each year, the James Beard Foundation awards just twelve scholarships, one for each of its designated regions. Past award winners include Ph.D. candidates, students in master’s degree programs, researchers, and food scientists. This year, the winner of the Mountain region (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) is 2023 Glenwood Springs High School graduate and Youthentity Career Academy alumni Cynthia Jimenez, who starts her freshman year at Johnson & Wales University this fall. Jimenez spent two years with Youthentity’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality program and is set to join the JWU four-year culinary program.
JBF's National Scholars Program, which launched in 2016, provides twelve high-impact scholarships of $20,000 each to food-focused candidates of exceptional talent. Candidates for the National Scholarships are selected according to academic merit, as well as personal and professional recommendations. To ensure regional diversity of this national program, one awardee is selected from each of the twelve geographic regions defined by the James Beard Foundation Awards. The annual scholarship requires two letters of recommendation and an essay. The program awards $20,000 scholarships to twelve candidates from across the U.S., who demonstrate the potential for leadership roles in culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management, and related fields.
“We are incredibly proud of Cynthia,” said Kirsten McDaniel, Youthentity’s Executive Director. “She meets each challenge head-on and demonstrated impressive work ethic and perseverance in her two years at Youthentity. We look forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the future.”
Jimenez joined Youthentity’s Career Academy program in 2021 as a high school junior. Through the Culinary Arts & Hospitality class, she discovered a passion for culinary arts. Youthentity’s Career Academy classes offer a way for high school students to explore different career paths while engaging in hands-on work led by industry professionals. Jimenez was also a member of the ProStart culinary competition team, which won second place at the 2022 ProStart regional competition held in Denver.
“We are proud that our Foundation’s scholarship program is committed to awarding $20,000 in financial aid to twelve extraordinary scholars each year. A desire to pursue a career in the culinary arts is no longer limited to cooking in the kitchen,” said Kris Moon, vice president of the James Beard Foundation. “Just as the types of careers available in the culinary arts have evolved, so too has the Foundation’s scholarship program. The National Scholars Program supports a diverse group of students exploring virtually every educational discipline, whether that be history, anthropology, economics, management, or the sciences—as viewed through the lens of food.”
Find out more about the James Beard Foundation’s scholarship program here. To learn more about Youthentity’s Career Academy, visit Youthentity.org