Meet Shanell

In a three-part series, walk with Shanell, a young woman who came to Future Chefs early in high school. Read her story and listen in on an intimate and honest conversation about who she was in those early years through her transition from high school to adulthood.

It all started when…

Shanell, Part 1

Here at Future Chefs, the young people in our kitchen inspire us every day. We see them walk into our doors early in high school, and in three to four fast-moving years, they walk out with confidence. They hold their head higher, they’ve found their voice, and they’re excited about their future. Like Shanell.

Shanell is a thoughtful young woman who came to Future Chefs and took time to speak up and be a part of the conversation. She had difficulties making it to school and felt isolated, reeling from the isolation of the pandemic. “I had trouble with Attitude-Gratitude (sharing the highs and lows of your day).” But she kept coming to Future Chefs. 

Shanell didn’t know how to begin planning for life after high school, and felt lost in the process. “Suddenly people were talking to me about my future, and I was nervous. I wasn’t used to that. No one had ever sat down to have this conversation with me. But the warmth and friendliness of the staff made me feel safe. I started to see that there could be exciting places for me.”  

The year flew by, and Shanell saw the progress herself, “I was excited to talk about my day!” she said.  Shanell used her experiences at FC as motivation in other parts of her life. She never missed a day at Future Chefs and started to notice the positive impact it had on school. By the end of the year, she regularly attended school. “As the year at Future Chefs closed,  I had found a sense of community, and no longer felt so isolated,” Shanell explains. She was also cooking for her family and connecting with them through food. She brought home dishes she created in the FC kitchen and encouraged them to try what she made in class, feeling proud of her work.

A pivotal moment happens in her second year at Future Chefs, so stay tuned for Part 2 of Shanell’s story coming out next Wednesday, December 13th.

Shanell, Part 2

After completing her first year at FC, Shanell was energized by what she was learning in the kitchen, and about herself. She decided to continue with Future Chefs. Toward the end of the year, the program staff started talking about something called “the Pop-Up.”

Shanell had the confidence now to sign up for the FC Summer Jobs intensive, which meant coming to Future Chefs every day. It was a paid job, with lots of opportunities to learn. The summer program centered around planning a two-day Pop-Up cafe. Young people organized, developed, recipe-tested, and marketed the business. “I learned the process of bringing an idea to life. This wasn’t just a restaurant. It was a business,” she said. Shanell loved being immersed in the project and was thrilled when the team chose her idea, a Mexican theme. She couldn’t wait to get to Future Chefs each day. “I became enthusiastic in the mornings because of my FC summer job,” she laughs.

During her second year at FC, Shanell emerged as a leader, finding her personal leadership style. Then something happened. Executive Director Toni asked Shanell to join her for a dinner with donors at Future Chefs. “It felt scary to be the ‘student representative’ for something that I thought was for adults only,” Shanell remembers. “To be included felt powerful. To have a conversation with people older than me was new for me,” she says. For Shanell, this moment solidified that there was life beyond what she once thought. “My young self wouldn’t have believed it!” she exclaimed.

With the Pop-up experience under her belt, She sailed into the Small Plates event, when the FC young people create and serve a small plates menu to 120 guests. “I loved owning our dishes. The chance to talk to people and tell them exactly what’s in it was amazing. I was a real chef.” As the year closed, the staff saw the growth in Shanell and asked her to be a part of a live-streamed event at Future Chefs with renowned pastry chef and co-owner of Flour, Joanne Chang. The “In the Baking” show was a sit-down conversation for viewers with Joanne, and Shanell asked questions about her career pathway. It was another moment when she realized how much people believed in her.

At the end of Year Two, Shanell gets ready to graduate. What’s next for her? How does she handle the transition from high school? Don’t miss Part 3 of her story coming out December 19th!

Shanell, Part 3

Shanell celebrated a milestone in June of 2023, earning her high school diploma. And made those around her proud by speaking at her graduation! She began to implement her plan for after high school, created with the help of the staff, into action. Shanell moved into FC Sustains, where she would receive support from Future Chefs during the two to four years after high school, often a risky time for young adults.

Shanell’s pathway evolved after taking a class in law and ethics, combined with more conversations with staff, and she uncovered an interest in advocacy. She also realized that going to school helped lead her to her passion. She decided to continue her education and with the help of trusted adults at FC, she landed on community college to keep the cost reasonable. She was thrilled to learn that Bunker Hill Community College would be a starting point for her academic journey.

Shanell didn’t stop there. With decisions about her fall sewn up, she focused on a summer job and landed a family law internship at the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse. She soaked up everything she could while there, having lunch with judges and shadowing those in the courtroom. She says that during this time, she “kept taking more initiative, stepped up my leadership skills, and practiced everything I wanted to do.” She also found time to support Future Chefs, appearing in a celebratory video about an NBA grant Future Chefs received.

The successes continued to build for Shanell. In preparation for the fall, she planned out her classes and organized her schedule so she could continue to work while going to school. She found a job (with a reference from Toni) as a group leader at Brookline Driscoll School, working with 4th graders in the extended day program, where she works today. She uses what she learned at Future Chefs to build community for these younger students. Her responsibilities include planning and coordinating activities, leading cooking projects, and assisting with homework. “I took what felt good to me at Future Chefs, such as team building, and applied it in my new job. I’m paying it forward with these younger students,” Shanell says with pride.

As her first semester draws to a close, Shanell continues to work hard with confidence.  She says that her life has been impacted by her time at Future Chefs because “each experience is a stepping stone, a building block. Future Chefs set a higher standard for me – what I want my work environment to be. I don’t want to be somewhere where I’m not embraced.” When I asked, “What’s next for you, Shanell?” her response was joyful, “So many options! I want to finish my 2 years at Bunker Hill, then transfer to a 4-year school, then go to law school. My main goal is activism, and education is so important.”

This once shy young woman relished talking about her time at Future Chefs, and her own future. She told me, “I want people to feel what I feel when they read it.”