Hi Everyone!
My name is Megan O’Connell. I’m a sophomore here at Penn State. I am from the great state of Connecticut. I’m super excited to be back in Happy Valley and ready for whatever this semester throws at me!
I’m especially excited for this course because I am very intrigued about the world around us and life in general. I feel that this class is a great fit for me because I struggled a lot in my high school science and math courses, but I always loved learning about the cool stuff that actually had relevance in my life. This is why I’m taking this class, because I’m so eager to learn and actually appreciate science, just not very eager to have to write out a thousand chemical reaction equations.
I grew up in a family that valued the importance of traveling and eating good food often. Each time we went to a new place, I would always get excited to explore the hotel as well as very intrigued by the culture and food of that country. All of this eventually led me to my decision to me a Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management (HRIM) as well as Spanish major here at Penn State. I grew up cooking my whole life and I absolutely love the joy my culinary creations bring to the faces of my family and friends. I found my passion in life at a very young age, which I am very thankful for.
I knew I had found my calling in life when I began interning for a local, sustainable and organic catering company this past summer. I got the opportunity to select and pick produce from a local farm and then turn it into delicious, fresh food. I hope that one day, whether I be working in hotels or restaurants, I will be putting what I’ve learned about preparing organic food and living more environmentally friendly to good use. If you’re interested in finding out more about eating local and organic, check out this video on farm-to-table dinners!
Here’s a picture of me at work in the kitchen!
That’s awesome that you got to work at local, sustainable and organic catering company! I did something similar for my community service project senior year but it was at an organic farm near my house. It was called Penny Pack Farms. I was there for only three weeks, but I learned so much about how they keep all the fruits and vegetables organic and how to steer clear of pesticides and other harmful things that can damage the food. It was also an amazing experience, although I’m not sure its for me. At the end of my three weeks I was able to take home so much fruit and my family loved it! It was a great experience and I met a lot of cool people there too!
Megan, I totally agree with you about not liking science in high school but at the same time being interested in the world around you. I think its important to apprecaite science even if you don’t like it. Science is probably pretty relevent to your interests in food! There is so much information out there about organic food and the health risks of processed foods. I’m a health nut too and I love to educate myself on the importance of eating organic. Have you ever seen Food Inc.? I think you would find it interesting! It is a documentary exposing the truth about the food industry. Take a look! http://www.takepart.com/foodinc