USC Excels in National FBLA Competition
Five USCHS students—Mahir Parmar, Vidhur Senthil, Rushikesh Kulkarni, Aubrey Lang, and Nivedha Suresh—placed in the top four in their respective events at the 2021 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state leadership conference. Placing in the top four qualified them to compete at the national conference, held virtually this past summer. “With everything going on this year, for these students to take it upon themselves to learn the information for the events and to compete is astounding,” said Pat Manion, high school social studies teacher and FBLA sponsor. Seventeen additional USCHS students finished in the top ten in their respective events. n FBLA is a nonprofit educational association that prepares students for careers in business by helping them develop leadership abilities and prepare for entry into and advancement within a business or business-related occupation.
First–Fourth place: Mahir Parmar, Introduction to Business, first Vidhur Senthil, Personal Finance, first Rushikesh Kulkarni, Public Speaking, second Aubrey Lang, Hospitality & Event Management, fourth Nivedha Suresh, Hospitality & Event Management, fourth Fifth place: Sujay Shah, Abelardo Sobarzo, Anthony DeNoon, Andrew Rosello, Shane Williams, Alex Belback, Parth Patel Sixth place: Ben Bacdayan, Sujay Banerjee, Harrison Chui, Carter Chui, Phillip Markovitz, Benjamin Wasson Ninth place: Matthew Earley, Alyana Childs, Anya Ekbote, Carmella McNally
My Sweet Solution to Pittsburgh’s Plant-Based Dessert Problem Julia Roeschenthaler, USCHS Senior, TODAY Intern It all started with a cup of flaxseed. A cup of flaxseed that was meant to be a tablespoon, and then a batch of the worsttasting muffins one could imagine. That was the beginning of my vegan baking career. There were several other mishaps: baking soda-less snickerdoodles, a coconut cake that caved in the center. The road to edible perfection was a bumpy one, as the expression goes, but I was determined to create baked goods that lacked dairy, not flavour. After spending years working on everything from egg substitutes to creamy cream-free frostings, I realized that my pursuits in the baking world could be more than just a hobby. The demand for vegan baked goods in the Pittsburgh area was, and still is, massive, with vegans and dairy-free individuals driving to other cities and even states to seek out delicious plant-based products. And, so, my journey into the food space began, with a limited menu scribbled on a piece of notebook paper and more vegan butter than I’d ever bought in my life. Julia’s Vegan Cakery and Bakeshop was born. I planned to shift between various market locations throughout the summer or, alternatively, supply vegan-friendly restaurants in the surrounding Pittsburgh area, each spot working to achieve the goal of offering easy access to my vegan baked goods. I launched a website and placed information on social media. The more steps I took and the more locations I visited and individuals I met, the more I could feel a drive building up inside of me. A laborious task, with many late nights spent under the pale lights of my family’s kitchen, I was determined to bring delicious baked goods to those who rarely had the opportunity to consume them. I knew what it was like, as a dairy-free turned vegan individual, to frequent a restaurant or gathering and see not one dessert that I could eat, besides perhaps a scoop of sorbet. I was disappointed with the lack of options, and determined that the best way to curb that disappointment was to be a solution to the plant-based dessert problem. This past summer leading into my senior year of high school, I travelled across the greater Pittsburgh area, carting cardboard boxes of fluffy layer cake and slabs of freshly sliced biscotti in the back of my vehicle. In only months of starting my business, I learned how to structure balance sheets and income statements, how to bake in greater volume than I thought possible, and even what was involved
in Food Production Manager Certification in Allegheny County. I met individuals in every corner of the food industry, and was thrilled to realize that I’d become part of the thriving Pittsburgh food community. On one specific evening, a Tuesday already more humid than any early summer Julia, baking cookies at home day should be, I was visiting a potential kitchen location with my father. It was in the back of a small, yet-to-be-opened bar in Millville, just off South Main Street. In the back of that bar, its rooms stacked high with kitchen equipment and leftover dining chairs, I listened as my father and the owner of the bar discussed their time in the food business, their nostalgic grins contagious as the conversation drifted from Mellon Park to Michelin star restaurants in Atlanta. I glanced around, briefly opening the convection ovens to study their numerous metal racks. I could see the contents of this kitchen and envision what I would later bake there, but I saw beyond it, too. I listened to the joyful recounting of time spent creating and serving, and at that moment I realized what could become of what started as a far-fetched conversation on a chilly April night. As we walked out onto the quiet street, lamps flickering above clouds of mosquitoes, I could not help but smile. I would spend the summer doing what I loved most: creating. I was an artist, my canvas a round white mixing bowl. And, while I cannot draw or paint like an artist that comes to the minds of most, I am able to do what every artist lives to do: bring flavour to the bland simplicity of everyday life. n For more information, visit juliasveganbakeshop.com, or follow her on Facebook at Julia’s Vegan Bakeshop or on Instagram at @juliasveganbakeshop. Fall 2021
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