Syrena Johnson
Liberty's Kitchen
New Orleans, LA US
"Don't let life go by. Don't be shy, don't be timid. If you want it, get out there and get it."
Career Roadmap
Syrena's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Food, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Don't doubt yourself or think that good things can't happen to you. Don't be timid, if you want something go out and get it.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Culinary Arts/Chef Training
French Culinary Institute
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
She was raised in uptown New Orleans, which she calls "one of the grimiest places."
2.
Growing up, she easily could've gone down a bad path, but she always chose to work and stay in school.
3.
Her first job was at McDonald's; she started at the bottom and worked her way up to fine dining.
4.
Looking back, she realizes she was always in the kitchen with her mother; that passion was always inside of her-she just had to identify it.
5.
Now she works at Liberty's Kitchen, a program for at-risk youth that teaches job skills through cooking.
6.
Her dream is to have her own restaurant where everyone who comes to eat can lick their plate clean and leave happy.
7.
For a long time, she thought her hard work would never pay off, but with a little bit of patience, she's been able to see her labor come to fruition.
8.
Says you have to get out there and get what you want: she's 23 years old and living all of her dreams because she went after them.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Hard work doesn't pay! I've been working hard, but it hasn't paid off yet.
How I responded:
Don't doubt yourself or think that good things can't happen to you. Don't be timid, if you want something go out and get it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in uptown New Orleans which is one of the grimiest areas, full of crime. I saw a lot of people around me going down bad paths, but I chose not to do those things. I wanted to finish school and make something of myself.