Back to Blog
Something in the air youtube7/4/2023 Woodling, assistant professor of building automation technology/HVAC electrical, encouraged that pursuit. One of Cummins’ final courses in the associate degree major – HVAC Controls II-Commercial – sparked her interest in the building automation engineering technology bachelor’s degree. And I’m in my mid-30s! I really do think this is a special place.” The Wildcat community is a thing that I actually feel a part of. “A big part of what’s kept me around has been feeling really supported by faculty and other students. “I am pretty unusual because of my age and my gender,” she said. After employing her newfound skills to remedy her kitchen dilemma, Cummins moved to Williamsport, bought a “fixer-upper” near campus and committed to another two semesters to earn an associate degree in HVAC. Cummins transferred day-to-day operations of Nittany Catering to her sister, Rachel, and spent a year obtaining the plumbing certificate. Those factors led her to Penn College to experience its applied technology education. Plus, I had some plumbing that I wanted to do in my own kitchen.” “It left me with some time, and I got a little bit scared about career security,” Cummins explained. The pandemic helped convince her to become the boss of one. “I’m pretty good at managing a business,” she said. When the coronavirus pandemic diminished the demand for catering in 2020, she had seven full-time employees and seven part-timers. A preferred caterer for Penn State, the company grew annually under her stewardship and added event planning to its offerings. “You have to be a little insecure about what you’re doing.”Įventually, Cummins felt at home running Nittany Catering. “In order to put yourself in a position where you make it, you have to be a little bit uncomfortable,” she said. When the business became available in 2013, Cummins, then 24, bought it with the assistance of her uncle. Cummins worked for the full-service catering company during her junior and senior years at Penn State. Nittany Catering in Bellefonte helped cultivate that interest. “I just always seemed to have my hands in food,” she said. Rather than enter the communications field, she embraced the hospitality industry by working in the “back of the house” at high-end restaurants. ![]() Seeking new skills has been a way of life for the industrious Cummins since she graduated from Penn State in 2010 with a degree in public relations, advertising and applied communication. Perhaps she should have foreseen such an outcome. Now I’m developing a completely different skill set that I was not anticipating.” “I came here pursuing the plumbing certificate to develop a new skill set. Accepting that challenge and being successful at it has been really powerful and fulfilling,” said Cummins, an Arizona native who grew up in Penns Valley. “I’ve been out of my comfort zone a little bit. That’s an impressive list of accomplishments for any student, especially for one who returned to school after a decade away from the classroom.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |