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Today, Trilevsky is her own boss, and a remarkably successful one. She owns FullBloom Baking Company, a commercial bakery in Newark that makes organic muffins, scones, cookies and other delectables for chains like Starbucks, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, as well as healthful snacks under its own brand. She has $40 million in sales, 220 employees and a 95,000-square-foot bakery.
At 52, the high-school dropout, who lives in Half Moon Bay, has come a long way. But she hasn't forgotten how tough it is to be young and poor, even for a smart cookie like her. That's why Trilevsky launched Smart Cookie, a scholarship and mentoring program for local students. The idea grew out of her efforts to help her own employees, mostly Latinos with little formal education.
"It occurred to me that we had young people working here who didn't have a lot of education but had a lot of potential," she told me. "Lifting heavy bags and hosing down floors is a job, but it's not a career. How could I help them develop a career that would help them get through life?"
Focus on the future
She tried offering English classes and other development opportunities for
her workers. Soon she realized that her best bet was to focus on the workers' children. That's where she could make a real difference.
"If we could help these kids get through college, then they could help their parents."
So in 2002, with $200,000 of her own money, she launched Smart Cookie. It had to be more than just a scholarship fund. She had been offered a college scholarship when she was working at that Mexican restaurant, but it only would have covered half her tuition, so she had to turn it down.
"I didn't want to start a program that gives a kid a check and says 'Have a nice semester.' It had to be more than that," she said. "It had to be enough."
Looking for potential
The Smart Cookie board chooses scholars for financial need and potential, not just grades. Trilevsky, who is single and doesn't have kids of her own, looks for young people who wouldn't make it without a firm, steady hand on the shoulder, and tries to give them whatever they need to succeed. They are paired with mentors, write weekly progress reports and come back every semester to discuss their goals with the board.
So far, the track record is impressive. Among the 14 who have graduated, there are two nurses, two teachers, a fashion designer, a social worker and a poet. One Smart Cookie went to law school.
Martha Yolanda Diaz, who grew up in Fremont, says the program made it possible for her to pursue her dream of becoming an environmental scientist. Her mentor helped her leap from Chabot College to UC-Davis and connected her with other Latina scientists. In June, Diaz earned her bachelor's degree in environmental toxicology. She hopes to study aquatic toxicology in graduate school. "I always had the feeling that they thought I would do great things, that I would go really far in life," she said. "I didn't want to let them down."
Now, that's one smart cookie.
Contact Patty Fisher at pfisher@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5852.
smart cookie
Send requests for information about the Smart Cookie scholarship program to smartcookie@fullbloom.com
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