Kent State University senior Ashley Foster has known since third grade that she wanted a career as a chef.

The 20-year-old hospitality management major got a little closer to her dream over the summer when she spent a week training with celebrity chef Cat Cora at the chef’s headquarters in Santa Barbara, California.

The Kent State University fight song blared down Main Street, the city of Kent was flooded with blue and gold, alumni and friends gathered and reminisced about their Kent State days, fans packed the stadium to cheer on their beloved Golden Flashes, and the entire campus boomed with Kent State pride.

Celeste Dawson had made up her mind. She was not going to attend college and that was her final decision. 

Her story could have ended there, but the support of her parents and a program at Kent State University opened up a new chapter in her life – one filled with opportunities she never imagined.