Community College Month Q & A: Evan Johnson ‘25

A double major in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, Evan Johnson plans to graduate in Spring of 2025.

Q: What does community college mean to you?

A: Community college to me means opportunity. Community college is a key foundation in starting your career, as there isn’t too much pressure placed on you to figure out who you are. It allows you to dabble in a little of all possible majors that may or may not interest you. It’s sort of a safety net, for being able to get a further education near you, while being able to balance your personal life at home alleviates much anxiety than going straight to a four-year college without a sure mind.

Q: Why is it important to pursue a degree?

A: A degree to me is a form of validation. It’s a “Yes, I do know what I am doing” and you can really have physical proof to believe it. Because I am continuing in the workforce in the career I further want to flourish in, having a degree provides a little more appeal to resumes.

Q: What has your experience been like at Middlesex College?

A: As all colleges go, there are the stressful times, the easygoing times, the slow times, and the super fast times. However, my overall experience has been better than I would have imagined. I have built some great friendships with other students, some who have graduated already and are in the same timeline as me, and positive relationships with some professors. I have enjoyed the walks around campus on beautiful days, some dedicated work sessions in the library, and have enjoyed the knowledge I have received in many of my classes.

Q: How has being involved with the Hospitality, Culinary, and Dietetics (HCD) program affected your journey thus far?

A: I own a business called “Food Coma Kitchen” doing catering and have been operating it ever since the pandemic. Even though I have worked in the culinary industry before going to college, gaining the technical and business knowledge from this program has made business ownership even better. I move to improve myself every semester by seeing what I can apply from the classes taken to myself, my skills, and my business. It even allowed me to garner more confidence to move forward with bigger business decisions, like opening up a ghost kitchen.

Q: Is there a professor or staff member who has helped you navigate college life/academics?

A: Majority of the HCD Department, even down to the lab assistants, are fantastic and have helped me so much in my college life, guiding me to improve my skills and business knowledge. However, one that sticks out to me is Professor Andrew Rubin. Never have I met a professor so caring, so knowledgeable, and so considerate while being so humble at the same time. Rubin’s business knowledge has been an integral part to my business improving every semester. If I had any questions or wanted advice on how I should price out something, advertise, or even move my business forward, he has taken the time to ask the key questions and provide guidance. Not only that, his classes were so well-explained and he was always eager to ensure clarity and understanding amongst his students. I always look forward to his classes, as I know I will learn something new or solidify a point that I may have been misunderstanding or confused about. Rubin, alongside the HCD Department, is a fantastic support system!

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My family to the one-millionth degree. I come from a family of hardworking, driven, and caring people, especially the women in my family. The history of my family has always been consistent with endurance, courage, faith, hope, strength, toughness, and love. There are so many more qualities that are abundant in my family, but what encapsulates it all is love. Despite the stress and challenges generations of my family have gone through, love and togetherness has always been present. That is why I have such a love of food and the culinary industry because when our family, immediate and extended, would come together, it was always paired with homemade food because we cooked not just to eat and survive, but to express love and come together. I always look back on my great grandparents, abuelo, abuela, aunts, uncles, and parents on what sacrifices they have made for the next generation and I am eager to follow suit.

Q: Do you have any advice for current students?

A: Balance! Coming from a person who is operating a business, working at a regular job, going to school, and having other important responsibilities, it can get to be a lot at times, and if you do not keep up, it can lead to a lot of stress. Be sure to take your time in selecting classes, do not overload yourself, even if you think you can handle it, and be sure to have a schedule for everything that is in your life! It has helped me so much to have set schedules, and even though it deviated at times, being able to restructure and balance life while in college made the day-to-day more clear and focused.