Baking Up Opportunities

MIHEC Student Profile: Addie Loerzel

I’m going to be a freshman at North Dakota State University in the fall. It’s only three miles from where I live and has a really good program for people with disabilities. The Transition and Access Program pairs students with a peer mentor, and they help us with classes and writing notes. They help us with whatever we need. I’m living off campus, but they have resources to help students who live on and off campus. At orientation, we were shown around campus and got to know other people. Now that I’m heading off to college, I can talk to more people. In high school, I felt like I had to be more closed off, but now I can open up more, because I’m growing up and becoming more like who I want to be.

At NDSU, I’ll take general education classes first. I want to take entrepreneurship classes because I want to open a restaurant one day. In high school, I was in a musical theater class, and I got to perform musicals. It was so much fun, and I was thinking about doing that in college, too. I also want to be part of clubs on campus, like the bowling club.

I’m excited to explore new opportunities, career-wise. I want to open my own restaurant and become a cook. I think having a soda bar at my restaurant would be a good idea, and other food like sandwiches. I’ve loved baking and cooking since I was three years old. I had an Easy Bake oven when I was little, and my favorite shows are on the Food Network. I also have my own cupcake stand and ice cream cart. My business is called Addie Sunshine and Treats, and I’ve worked lots of events.

College is going to be different from high school, and that’s what I’m excited about. All my high school friends went into an 18-to-21 transition program, but I wanted to go to college. I wanted to be different from my friends and grow up without being forced to do something I didn’t want to do.

I’ve always been passionate. I want to become a better business owner, and college will help me with that. I want to open the doors for other people with disabilities and hopefully change the world. If you have that drive to go to college, then do it. You might love it. Take the chance.