The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation (RAMEF) is proud to announce its ProStart Teacher and Student of the Year. The 2022/2023 Student of the Year award will be presented to Shreja Patel from La Plata High School and the 2022/2023 Teacher of the Year award will be presented to Dr. Lorna Browne from Howard High School at the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s (RAM) annual Awards Gala on March 26, 2023.
“Shreja responds so positively to critique and advice when working. Her positive attitude is infectious. When other students are frustrated or disengaged, Shreja exudes a work ethic that infiltrates the rest of the group,” said Mary Winkler, educator at La Plata High School.
“Dr. Lorna Browne is a committed ProStart educator who works tirelessly to ensure the program is up to date, aligned with national standards and accessible to all our teachers,” said Natalie Belcher, CTE Coordinator.
Last week, representatives from RAM visited La Plata High School and Howard High School to invite the honorees to receive their awards at next month’s Gala.
RAMEF’s mission is to enhance the foodservice and hospitality industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement—and the Maryland ProStart program is a critical component of this mission. ProStart provides high school students with the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to begin their journey towards becoming tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders.
“The purpose of the program is to expose students to an industry that has many different pathways and is very welcoming,” said Olivia Aberdeen, Education & Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Restaurant Association of Maryland. “In Maryland, we have educators that come from an industry background and some that don’t, but one thing they have in common is their drive to give our scholars an opportunity to fall in love with a career that is fueled by passion. To be able to identify an educator and scholar that has been noticed by not only their peers in the building, but their community, is a privilege. We’re all still recovering from Covid, so any opportunity we get to show that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, we take it,” she added.
About Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM)
The Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) exists to promote, protect and improve Maryland’s foodservice and hospitality industry. RAM leads by showcasing restaurants, offering programs that reduce operating costs and advocating for the interests of foodservice businesses. RAM represents all foodservice and hospitality businesses including restaurants, caterers, bars & taverns, private clubs, food trucks, grocery stores, hotels and other businesses that serve food. https://www.marylandrestaurants.com/
