Meet: Team Member
Thomas

For Thomas F., a team member at our Mount Joy, PA, Taco Bell, a passion for food turned into an exciting future! Thomas is pursuing a food and business degree with a focus on culinary arts. Helping make his dream possible? An incredible $70,000 in Live Más Scholarships from the Taco Bell Foundation!

Since joining Summerwood in June 2022, Thomas has developed valuable skills that extend beyond the restaurant. “Working at Taco Bell helped grow my work ethic and team bonding skills,” he shares. Now in his fourth semester at CIA, Thomas is putting those skills to work while pursuing his dream of becoming a private chef for athletes. He credits Area Coach Aria W. for encouraging him to apply for his first scholarship. “Without her I would never have done it,” he says. Since then, Thomas has earned four Live Más Scholarships, including two $10,000 awards and two $25,000 awards.

Balancing work and culinary school isn’t always easy, but Thomas embraces every challenge as an opportunity to grow. “Time management is not only a skill but a way of life,” he explains. His advice to others? Don’t feel pressured to find your passion early on. Instead, focus on building the skills and foundation to do something great. As Thomas puts it, “Any hard day is just another challenge I get to overcome.”