Thais

How much does it cost to follow your passion? Just ask Thais Sousa, a culinary student at Cabrillo who dreams of starting her own catering company.

When she needed money to buy knives and her uniform, her instructor and WES Advisor, Sue Slater, requested funds from the WES program, which issues small grants to help students cope with financial emergencies. Within two weeks, Thais had the money she needed to stay in school. “I thought my savings would be enough, but everything cost more than I thought.”

The WES Committee, known as Best Friends, raise money annually to help support this endowment program.