Why was attending culinary school important to you?
I had always dreamt of being a chef. My mom had a quasi-catering company when I was growing up, so I helped her out with that kind of stuff very early. I would also watch all the cooking shows back then, which consisted of the Frugal Gourmet and Great Chefs of New Orleans.

What were you doing before you came to school?
I was living in Los Angeles and worked in advertising, doing employer branding and things like that.

How did you decide to pay for your education?
I basically took out loans. I didn’t have a lot saved up, so I basically borrowed the whole thing, which was a lot of money.

How did you learn about loans? And why did they work for you?
There was one type of loan for the amount of money that I needed. It covered everything, and I was able to borrow a little bit extra for living expenses and things.

What advice do you have for prospective students who are exploring ways to finance their education?
Some advice I would have is to pay off any debts you have before taking on more. I had a certain amount of credit card debt and other school loans I was still paying off from college, so I had financial responsibilities even before I started paying off my culinary school loans.

Have a goal in mind of where you want to be and where you want to go in the industry, and figure out the steps that you can take to meet those goals. Know how much your monthly bills are going to be.

How long have you been out of school? Where are you in your career now?
I graduated in 2005. I’m moving back to Los Angeles, and working on a business plan for a restaurant of my own—lots of culinary prospects on the horizon.