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Pursuing her Passion for Pastry
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Ever since Sarah Nelinson was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be a chef. “It’s a passion I picked up from my father,” she says. “Ever since I was about five-years old, it’s what I’ve loved to do.” At the age of 10, Sarah had the thrill of her young life when she went to New York City to be on the television show of Emeril Lagasse,
But as Sarah grew up and pursued her culinary aspirations, she’s also had to deal with the challenges of a formidable disease known as Usher syndrome type 1. It’s a condition that caused her to be born profoundly deaf, and is progressively robbing her of her eyesight. At the age of 22, she is already using a cane to navigate and will be getting a guide dog next year. Cochlear implants give her some sound perception. Despite her sensory challenges, Sarah will be graduating next year from the Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts with an associate’s degree in professional baking and pastry — a program which includes extensive baking lab work and business studies. She’ll be traveling to Ireland next spring to fulfill a degree requirement to learn about that country’s culinary culture. From there she will continue her studies, working toward a bachelor’s degree in culinary management. Her ultimate goal is to be an executive pastry chef and “be in charge of a kitchen.” While Sarah is making great strides in pursuing her passion, it often isn’t easy with hearing and vision loss. “It is challenging walking alone with cane in a busy city and being in school where no one knows much about the deaf-blind world,” she says. “I have to teach them how to accommodate my needs and that requires a lot of patience on their part.” Sarah gives a lot of credit to her family — especially her parents — for helping her cope with hearing and vision loss. She says, “They enrolled me for training in the Helen Keller National Center for the Deaf Blind, and they are well-connected in the deaf-blind world. My dad has really pushed me to get involved in the deaf-blind community so I can meet new people and make friends. They also are very up-to-date on research funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and they like to keep me informed on what’s happening. We are really hoping for a cure.” Sarah adds, “My parents were upset and scared when I was first diagnosed with Usher syndrome, but they were also confident that I’d be ok. They gave me confidence. They are simply amazing and are the most important thing in the world to me.” |
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