First Bon Appétit/St. John’s Scholarship Recipient Graduates with Honors
- by Guest
Erica Simms graduated summa cum laude
from Bennett College
Submitted by Theodore Canto, General Manager
Bon Appétit Management Company is proud to partner with its education clients to tackle many mutually important issues of sustainability, such as food waste and climate change. Now, with the graduation of the first recipient of a joint scholarship at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, it has added greater access to higher education to the list.
St. John’s Treasurer Dr. Bronte Jones and Bon Appétit, as represented by District Manager John Engstrom, established an annual college/food service scholarship that would be awarded to the qualifying child of a 20-year-plus dining services employee. The scholarship’s guidelines include a “family” principle, while a sustainability focus includes the health of the planet, the employees, neighborhoods and communities, and guests.
This spring, Dr. Jones and John proudly witnessed the successful culmination of the effort when Erica Simms, the first-ever recipient in 2009, took the stage wearing colorful regalia and an ever-present smile to accept her diploma from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC.
Erica and her mother, Patricia Wilkerson, McDowell coffee shop supervisor at St. John’s College
Erica is not only the $20,000 scholarship’s first recipient; she is the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college. Erica grew up on the St. John’s campus; her family has more than 150 combined years of service at St. John’s. Her mother, Patricia Wilkerson, accounts for more than 30 of those years and currently manages the McDowell Coffee shop on campus.The intention of the scholarship couldn’t be more fully realized; Bon Appétit congratulates Pat for her steadfast dedication and Erica for her commitment. Additionally, Erica graduated summa cum laude!