Johnson & Wales University

The first day is over...take a deep breathe because the road to success has only begun. A lot of you are getting your feel for the classes, and a lot of you are anticipating getting you senior year over and done with, while the rest of us envy you. 

I want to kick off this school years first blog post by saying hello to everyone and I hope I meet you all throughout the year. If you see don’t hesitate to say hi, I may be on a mission to get somethings done but who won't be once things really get into gear. Again i want to Welcome the Class of 2019 to JWU and I can’t wait to see the amazing things you will bring to this campus. Know that you are capable of making a change here. This goes for all the JWU campuses. Really soon you will meet your campus bloggers on here or on instagram which is coming soon. Have an amazing rest of the first week everyone;)

(Photo: Kennedy Plaza)

What was supposed to be a normal day at Providence, Rhode Island turn into an amazing event full of surprising adventures. On the way to the back from Thayer Street, my friend and I knew that today was not a day to sit inside when the beautiful summer wind called our attention to the outside. We decided to take a stroll to the mall but the joy and liveliness of the beautiful celebration was in the way of our destination. We had no choice but to experience the “Jaw-dropping Celebration”. Throughout the entire ten months I’ve been in Providence, I had no idea this many people even existed in such small city. Exploring today made me realize that there’s more to Providence than I could ever imagine.

(Photo: Portrait Art)

Lana Del Rey has been my idol for quite some time now. However, I would never think that I would get a chance to actually be able to go to one of her concerts, EVER. Luckily I was able to yesterday (June 9th) at the xfinity center in Massachusetts and I had a wonderful time. My only two complaints is that it rained for like 15 minutes before the show and the food at the xfinity center is really expensive (but so is almost everywhere). Overall, Lana did great, the stadium was packed and I had an amazing time. Here’s some pictures I have to remember the great event:

Here’s a music video of one of her most popular songs:

I’ve been a student a Johnson & Wales University for an entire year now. Already since the first day I’ve stepped foot into JWU, I’ve Discovered 10 amazing opportunities JWU has to offer:

5. Early-Enrollment Program

The Early Enrollment Program gives high school seniors the opportunity to start college early while still finishing their high school requirements. I met on Junior (who is now a senior) who is younger than me. If I had known about this program I would have enrolled as well.

4. Dual Degree/Double Major

In the College of Culinary Arts, JWU students have the opportunity to receive an Associates Degree in Culinary or Baking & Pastry and then move on to receive a Bachelors Degree in either Culinary Nutrition, Baking & Pastry B.S., or Food Service Management. Students also have the opportunity to double major by gaining an Associates Degree in both Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts. Even though it will be tough, it can definitely be done.

3. Student Assistant/Teaching Assistant/Fellow

JWU offers student the opportunity to gain work experience as well as a $3,600-$10,800 scholarship a school year. I had the opportunity to work as an Student Assistant and, to be honest, it was a lot to manage since I started my freshmen year of college with an 24 hour work as well as 24 hours of culinary labs totaling 48 hours of active duty. However, working for the school is probably the best job one could have financially because of the scholarship on top of getting paid. Being wise enough to put that hard earned money towards tuition results with a less money to pay back in the future.

2. Sharp Program

JWU’s Sharp Program allows students who excel in the classroom to take 25 credits per term instead of the traditional 21 credits. In order to be eligible for the sharp program the student must have a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.4 by the end of each term. This allows students to take an extra class per term which can lead to a possible early graduation.

1. Residental Life

One of the best opportunities JWU offers is Residental Life. Through Residental Life qualifying students could earn between $10,500-$12,501 in scholarships as a Resident Assistant/Graduate Assistant. During training for the Resident Assistant/Graduate position students get the opportunity to learn communication/interaction skills that is not taught in class and many don’t ever catch on to in the real world. Residential Life is also in charge of making students experience a JWU the greatest as well as ensuring that students want to come back the following years. Through JWU Residential Life I’ve also gained the opportunity to be part of the JWU Project documentary for the 2015-2016 school year. Residential Life has opened many doors for me as well as helped me gain a better relationship with others as well as myself-which is the best relationship one could have.

Here’s a short story I wrote a while ago that I think is pretty amazing. I’m kind of surprised I wrote it.

Dear Diary,

It seems as though whatever I make, or do, I can’t get my child, Anthony, to eat. Rachel Ray’s thirty-minute meals for kids are no match to the critic of a child who can determine a dish’s goodness just by its looks and smell. Every five minutes he’d poke it with a fork attempting to familiarize its texture with only five acceptable dishes one could ever be faced with – pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti and meatballs.

These five spectacular dishes can’t come from anywhere. They must be made with the proper care from a person who puts a pinch of heart, soul and love. Actually, heart, soul and love are three ingredients from the devil to my child eyes which he shall never encounter. What Anthony really cares about is where it came from, how it’s made and what’s in it. Pizza must be delivered from Little Caesars and Little Caesars alone. The local pizza joint that offers better flavor over looks is unacceptable. There’s no character that is loved by children and detested by adults on the local pizza box. Fortunately Little Caesars is less than half the price of good pizza, which leaves me complaining less.

Chicken Nuggets must be nuggets. Occasionally, it may be called chicken fingers. The moment the word fingers come in contact with chicken, I’m sentenced one hour and thirty-five minutes of convincing Anthony that they’re the same thing, two minutes heating it back up then another hour convincing him again. Eventually he’ll taste it. But by that time all its crispy texture, moist buttermilk flavor, and goldenness is long gone. That’s when I’ll hear Anthony say it’s dry… and soggy too.

Grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and spaghetti and meatballs are my go to dish for creativity. As long as I incorporate the following- grilled cheese and mac and cheese must have yellow-orange cheddar cheese incorporated in the dish to hide any unfamiliar colors. Apparently, using white cheddar in grilled cheese or mac and cheese is against the law. Fortunately, this Food Bureau of investigation lacks the ability to detect ingredients that is blind by the eye. Since everyone loves pepperoni and bacon, I’m free to experiment with that as well.

Thank god to whoever invented pasta sauce, anything, and I mean anything could be smuggled into this red goodness and no one would ever know. Feel like Anthony doesn’t eat enough veggies? No problem, blend that green goodness in there. Not feeling beef today? use sausage instead. Is turning the meat into a perfectly round ball a job and a half? You’re out of luck. Go back into the kitchen and work that rolling magic.

At least he’s eating something; I know a lot of parents who child is on a strict candy diet. My child rarely eats candy. I know… hallelujah (I personally think it’s because it’s never in the house. The only time he ever see’s candy is at parties or special events. I guess my child thinks it’s only meant to be eaten those times. It doesn’t exist beyond those days). But only eating a hand full of dishes is unacceptable. In my book of rules, that is against the law. But my rules are just illegal opinions compared to the dictatorship Anthony runs. Maybe I should drop my weapons of creativity, turn myself in, vow to never commit treason again, get charge thirteen plus year’s imprisonment, and hopefully get out early on good behavior. Maybe I should yell at him, cook whatever I want and threaten to let him rot there until he finishes his food. That’ll work.

Or maybe, this is just a challenge every adult faces. Maybe it’s all a never-ending game. Maybe in order to win the game I must keep experimenting with my creativity until I discover my entire child’s likes and dislike. Maybe Anthony’s critique will change overtime. Maybe, sooner or later, what I like and what I dislike will come in harmony with Anthony.

Well, kind of. For me. I’ve been out of class for about three weeks now since I had two open segments at the end of spring term, so I took my one final for Intro to Food Writing early, then headed back down to Florida.

I’m not going to lie - I’m having JWU withdrawals already and I’m also missing the lovely Providence spring weather. Living at home for three months is going to be tough, especially since my parents live in the tiny, quiet town of Melbourne Beach. 

There are a couple of perks, though - being around family is always nice, and I’m reunited with my twin sister. We had a nice night out on Saturday, when we saw one of my favorite Disney movies come to life on stage.

On Wednesday we’re headed to Epcot - sure is nice being an hour from Disney World! Wednesday’s Disney fix will have to last me until I start in September, so I’m looking forward to cramming a bunch of fun into one day.

We all have been dreading this time of the year but I think it is important not to stress out too much. Besides marking your territory in the library, or getting too many Venti coffees from Starbucks, enjoy the nice weather Providence has given us after the frigid winter. Below are 5 easy study tips.

Prioritize. DO NOT and I mean DO NOT wait until the day before your final. If you’re reading this right now and you’re uttering the f-bomb, we might have a problem. But don’t be discouraged, all of these steps can be accomplished in 24 hours.

Meet with your classmates/professors. Work together with some buddies from class and compare notes. Having an open discussion about a problem everyone is having a tough time with can make you feel better about yourself and also get the problem solved faster when working together. Also, use your reading days with your professor, we have them for a reason.

Stay healthy. A couple of coffees a day is never healthy. Drink water and eat snacks that will get those juices in your brain flowing. Also, get AT LEAST 8 hours of sleep before your exam.

Breaks. Give yourself a 10 minute break between each class so that you can refresh your mind. Ten hours of cramming will just stress you out and studies show that you will probably not even remember most of the information.

Relax. You’re going to do fine. Plan a section of your day where you’re not worried about finals, even if it is just for a couple of hours.

Check out my Video for the JWU Project

Hi, My name is Keanu Taylor. I am currently a freshmen majoring in Culinary Arts/Culinary Nutrition (Candidate). I also minor in Professional Communication.

I've decided that I'm never going back home to Florida, because the seasons up north are just too beautiful. Seems like not that long ago that I would spend a good half an hour just staring outside at all the colorful trees. I thought fall would be my favorite season, no doubt about it.

Then, in December snow started to fall and I was just beside myself with how excited I was to go play in it. Even getting up at five in the morning for labs in the winter wasn't as painful as I expected. On most days, the snow just made everything ten times prettier outside.

And NOW, spring is here and I'm in love with all the flowers!

It's not too hot, not too cool, and everywhere I look is so full of color. I'm especially loving all the tulips over by the Village. I keep meaning to take my camera over and get some good shots!