Culinary Arts student honored to receive Bill Flatt Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Tammy Peters loves to cook. She was wary of attending college later in life, but after hearing about Blackhawk’s Culinary program, she decided to enroll.

“I was worried about the age gap and how that was going to work out for me,” said Tammy, who is a native of Random Lake.

After realizing things were not as challenging as she expected, Tammy discovered that her age helped her relate to her classmates.

Tammy is the recipient of the Blackhawk Foundation’s Bill Flatt Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which was established to assist students pursuing a career in Culinary Arts at Blackhawk. She said she is honored to receive the scholarship and knows that it will help her accomplish her goals.

Tammy, who plans to graduate in December, said it’s important to work on your skills outside of class time to learn and build on what you are studying.

She also sees value in the small class sizes, which enables her to get more one-on-one time with the instructors to hone her skills.

Prospective students shouldn’t let challenges keep them from doing what they want, Tammy said.

“You are not alone in your journey at BTC,” she said. “There is always someone willing to help you in any way and cheering you on to help you accomplish your goals.”

After graduating, Tammy plans to find a job preparing meals for those who need help in the kitchen.

For more information on scholarships offered at Blackhawk Technical College, visit blackhawk.edu/scholarships.

Bill Flatt Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The Flatt Family established the Bill Flatt Memorial Endowed Scholarship in 2012 to award scholarships to students in a culinary arts field of study at Blackhawk Technical College. Bill Flatt was employed as a chef for numerous hotels as well as Best Events Catering and the Beloit Country Club. He was a member of the American Culinary Federation and had served as President of the Rock County Chapter. He passed away in October of 2011, and his passion for the culinary world was the spark for the creation of his memorial scholarship fund by his family so that students pursuing this same passion and dream would have the ability to do so. A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one student each fall. Students must be enrolled (or will be enrolling) in a culinary arts-related field of study at Blackhawk Technical College. Students can either be enrolled as part-time (minimum six credits) or full-time students and must be in good academic standing. The scholarship is available to new or continuing students and preference shall be given to students showing financial need.