Culinary publication, Cuisine Noir, profiled our on-site social enterprise, Corner’s Café, this month. The Café provides healthy and delicious food to East Oakland’s food desert.
Read the full article here.
As soon as you meet Brandy you know she loves a challenge. So despite being terribly shy, she joined the Corners Café staff to pursue her passion for cooking. But, the real challenge came when the Café Manager assigned Brandy to the register, which requires her to greet and interact with all the customers! Looking back, Brandy remembers being overwhelmed initially. Now Brandy is proud of how she pushed through her shyness to be more confident.
That's what YU is all about, creating opportunities for young people to discovery who they are, what they are capable of, and how to become their best selves. Corners is Brandy’s first job and through the café’s employment training program her sense of self and leadership skills have blossomed. Her manger remarks that she can run the place without her, and that makes Brandy beam with pride.
At 17, Brandy is a senior at Castlemont High School and East Oakland resident full of promise. She aspires to be a mechanical engineer and YU is wrapping around her to ensure her success. Our leadership development program has involved Brandy in community efforts to develop creative housing solutions for the homeless. And, YU's Career & Education Program is working with her to make sure she's prepared to attend the Historically Black College of her choice -- she's already been accepted to Dillard University. Brandy's newfound confidence coupled with YU supports gives her the opportunities she deserves to fulfill her potential.