College Confectionista embraces being a mentor for college-bound Latino students

Anamaria Morales is probably most known by locals for her amazing cheesecakes or for her appearances on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel.

Morales, 25, began baking desserts during her senior year at El Molino High School in Forestville as a way to help pay for tuition at UC Berkeley. Since then, the College Confectionista has graduated, returned to Sonoma County and continued with her booming business.

According to the College Confectionista website, Morales is taking a break before the holiday season. She’ll be back to selling cheesecakes like Abuelita Mexican Chocolate Caliente, Pecan Caramel Crack, Pumpkin Piscosa and SoCo Style for pick up in November at Sonoma Family Meal in Petaluma.

Now, she’s using her experience and platform to help the next generation of students who are ready for higher education. Like many of the students she’s connected with, Morales was the first in her Latino family to earn a college degree.

When Morales was in high school and began looking into tuition costs, the first-generation student had no idea how to apply for scholarships or financial aid. She was eventually paired with local organizations and people who helped her navigate the system. And now, few years after graduating, she’s paying it forward.

Last year, Morales joined the board of Latinos Unidos Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, which serves Sonoma County community through philanthropic work like granting scholarships to college-bound Latinos and, she became a part of their scholarship committee. Morales received two scholarships from Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, one while attending Santa Rosa Junior College and one when she was enrolled at UC Berkeley. In 2016, she was one of 10 students who was awarded $1,000 during The Press Democrat’s Youth Service Awards event, which recognizes students who inspire and support community good.

In August, more than $92,000 was distributed among 121 Sonoma County college students at the Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma’s scholarship gala. Each student received about $750 to put toward school-related expenses.

Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma President Zeke Guzman, said having Morales on the board, which is volunteer-based, has been a great addition to their team.

“She has the spirit to help youth. And the reason she has that spirit is in her story about how she got to college. We want our students to know that, we want her to flourish within our students," Guzman said.

And Morales wants to help others flourish by being there for applicants who have questions or doubts.

“I'm thinking I can be more of a sounding board for the students so that we can ping ideas back and forth and tailor a plan that fits how they operate and what their goals are. Together (we can) figure out how to navigate the system,” she said. “And I'm hoping through my experiences, I can help them along the way.”

Over the years, Morales has also connected with Sonoma County students by being a guest speaker on school campuses. She’s spoken to the culinary class at Analy High School in Sebastopol and to students at Roseland University Prep.

"She connected with the students really well. She was so energetic and her enthusiasm, and how she inspires students was really quite amazing,“ said Mei Ibach, culinary arts teacher at Analy High School. ”I would say at least 40% on my students, (have some kind of kind of) Hispanic background. And so, she really adds another layer of confidence to the students that look at her, she's young and where she came from, her journey as a first-generation.“

Morales echoed Ibach’s thoughts on Latino students being heard and feeling seen.

“I think having people come together and just being really honest with each other about what we're struggling with ... it can be a wonderful space to be really vulnerable, to dream big together and plan, and execute bigger ideas and get momentum off of each other,” she said. “I just want to make sure that the emphasis really is on what is important. That we are sharing our stories with young students honestly, openly and that we are willing to take the time to lend a helping hand rather than just write a check and walk away.”