Hello, my name is Adam Hopkins,
I am a second year culinary arts student
studying at the University of Derby.
As students, it's really important
that you have the full experience,
so doing that, we go on
placements or internships.
I personally went to America,
I went to North Carolina.
I was fortunate to be able to get
a scholarship off the university
and that enabled me to
go to North Carolina
for five months to be
able to do a placement.
When I first went to America,
I was really, really nervous
but also excited to see the
journey that I would take,
the journey that I would go on and explore
and I knew that it was going
to be a challenge as well,
because I'd never really
worked at a hotel before.
It was a different environment
so I was able to meet new people
from lots of different languages as well
and be able to learn that,
but also be able to
teach the way that I cook
and developing myself in leadership skills
and mentoring skills.
I met so many wonderful people
that helped me along the way
to be able to be where I am now
and since from the first
semester to the next semester,
there's a huge difference.
You could even do placements
at the university as well,
so you're able to work in the
actual kitchens at the Dome
to do big events.
You're able to do weddings,
you're able to do Comic
Con, that sort of thing,
and it's not every day that you can say
that you've done an event
for near enough 1000 people.
So next, I'll be going on
another placement for a year.
This would be in Orlando.
The culinary industry is always changing.
We're always able to develop in our skills
and learn different skills,
but this is what the
University of Derby gives us.
It gives us a whole different outsight
of the culinary industry.
It shows us that it's not
just cooking, it's the art,
it's the style, it's the passion,
it's everything else that you can imagine.
This course provides us with
so many different things
and our internships is
just one of the things
that you're able to do
and it's just amazing to
be able to be part of this
and be able to be a part
of the university itself.
