Grace Mitchell-Jenkins. Courtesy of amazinggracecupcakery.org
By David Alde & Donna Purchase
In the summer of 2020, Southwest DC resident Grace Mitchell-Jenkins saw an ad in The Southwester highlighting the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly Scholarship program and applied immediately. Today, Mitchell-Jenkins is featured in this month’s ad as a former winner, having used her scholarship to support her attendance at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
A native Washingtonian, Mitchell-Jenkins grew up in Southeast DC and graduated from Friendship Collegiate Academy in 2017. In 2018, she moved to the Southwest DC community where she still lives today.
“From Fall 2020 to Spring 2022 SWNA has helped me to obtain my culinary goals,” Mitchell-Jenkins said. “I graduated with my associate degree in baking and pastry. Not only has SWNA supported me through school, but they also support me in my business!”
Amidst the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Mitchell-Jenkins took the leap to launch her own small business, AmazingGraceCupcakery. She makes cakes, cakesicles, cupcakes, pies, and cookies, all available at her website, www.amazinggracecupcakery.org.
“I am tremendously grateful for SWNA for connecting me with people in the neighborhood who are willing to help me on my journey,” Mitchell-Jenkins said. “I am also very grateful to my family and friends who have supported me throughout the three years of being in business, whether they bought from me or spoke about me to their friends. I am so thankful for them believing in my skills and my dream. I am very blessed, and I thank God for putting the right people in my life. He knew that I would need some help and he gave me SWNA. Out of this experience I’ve met some wonderful people who believe in me. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me next.”