Aspiranet helps teen develop recipe for successful baking career, life

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Watching and helping his mother and grandmother in the kitchen as a young boy, Terence Flagg learned he has a passion for cooking. Through Aspiranet, the 19-year-old Ceres resident is learning the life skills that will help him realize his dream of becoming a professional baker.

Aspiranet helps foster youth transition to independence. Flagg entered the foster care system at age 15 after his mom “met with a very bad person ... she got hooked up with him and got into drugs, sadly,” he said one recent afternoon.

He and younger siblings were under their grandmother’s care for a while, he said, but ended up separated. By the age of 18, Flagg had lived with 20 different foster parents, changed schools multiple times and faced several financial and emotional challenges in his young life, Aspiranet staff said.

He’s now living with a friend’s family in extended foster care – the friend’s mother became a certified provider – and continuing in Aspiranet’s Independent Living Skills Program. Through ILSP classes and peer support group participation, Flagg said he’s learned how to dress and otherwise prepare for a job interview, and how to conduct himself during one. He’s learned how to pay bills, budget/manage money and save for goals like buying a car and paying rent.

Flagg said he likes to dress to impress, although it can bring ribbing from young peers. They say things like, “He was bummy the other day – why’s he dressed up all good now?” he said. “But I like to dress up in a nice suit. I’m trying to get myself a nice tie, because that’s the only thing missing. I have my own suit … and sometimes I just want to walk around with that on to boost up my confidence. I feel important, I feel good about myself and I feel like I could conquer the world if I have to.”

Flagg started in Aspiranet’s high school “B track” at age 16 and, after earning his GED, moved to the “C track” for young adults. He recalls being apprehensive at first because he’d gone through so many changes in his life and was wary of new experiences. “But as soon as I stepped in the door, I felt at home,” he said, with a smile that almost never left his face as he sat in the ILSP center on J Street in downtown Modesto. “The supervisor, Lisa (Cabral), is so sweet. … Every time she calls me, her voice makes me go from having a bad day to the most epic day.”

Cabral and Aspiranet colleague Ellyn Brannon said they’ve seen Flagg grow into a productive, confident young man. Through Aspiranet, Cabral said, he’s gone on leadership retreats and been active in leadership programs including California Youth Connection, “which participates in legislative changes for foster youth.”

Flagg is studying at Modesto Junior College and, through an Apiranet job fair, found employment at the new Smart & Final store in downtown Modesto. He’s weighing his options to continue his culinary-focused education: among them, the CSU Stanislaus and Sacramento campuses, San Jose State University and the Columbia College hospitality management program.

“When I was little, I always watched my mom and grandma cook and they always had a big smile on their face,” Flagg remembered. “I thought I want to be happy like that. ... I want to be a chef to this day.”

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Aspiranet helps teen develop recipe for successful baking career, life."