Some students choose their path. Others fight their way toward it. Jessica Suarez is one of the fighters. After surviving kidney failure, dialysis and the difficult recovery that followed two transplants, she rebuilt her life piece by piece, eventually finding purpose and healing through Hillsborough College’s (HC) culinary program.
Jessica Suarez originally attended high school in Connecticut but moved to Florida for warmer weather, where she was able to begin her education at HC. Originally, Jessica started her education in ultrasound technology but fell ill after her first kidney transplant rejected in 2019. Placed back on the transplant waitlist, Jessica continued managing a lupus diagnosis she had received at just 18 years old. Her kidneys ultimately failed when she turned 30, leading her to depend on dialysis until she received another transplant three years later. Having turned her health around, Jessica faced the question of whether she could safely return to school.
“I was reluctant to come back to school,” she said. “The stress would possibly contribute to the failure of another transplant.”
While waiting for her second transplant, Jessica turned toward the kitchen. She carried fond memories of her grandmother, who was both a cook and a baker, and followed in her footsteps. After her second transplant, her husband urged her to revisit that passion and explore culinary arts. Determined not to let fear hold her back, Jessica returned to HC.
“My husband, being the outgoing one, rang the doorbell at Bistro 118, and Chef Hannah Rector (whose spotlight can be read here) came walking out,” she said. “My husband introduced me as a possible future culinary student, and we toured the kitchen and learned how the classes were intertwined. I was amazed. I said, ‘This is it,’ this is where I wanted to be.”
Jessica enrolled as a full-time culinary management student on the Dale Mabry Campus, while also raising her daughter, who was still in high school, and supporting her oldest daughter stationed in Germany with the United States Air Force. To Jessica, this degree wasn’t just schoolwork; it was her passion.
“I enjoy being in the kitchen; it’s not work to me. I think of it as giving me life outside of being a mom, a wife and being at home,” she said. “Make sure it’s your passion because it’s not easy. It’s a lot of hours on your feet, and it’s meticulous with all the guidelines to be followed.”
Throughout the program, Jessica was able to create long-lasting friendships with her peers, build relationships with her professors and make unforgettable memories that brought her and her husband to Italy. The Marco Polo Program Abroad
in Italy brought three different schools from three regions, including HC’s culinary students, to Italy to visit different regions, cook among different culinary students and their professors and learn about sustainability through culinary backgrounds. These students learned to cook cultural cuisines, visit buffalo mozzarella farms and to cook with the sustainably produced products made from the cows.
“It’s a learning experience and totally different from what we see here in the U.S.,” she said. “We need to figure out more sustainable growing and usage of farming. The overproduction and manufacturing are stunting us.”
Her husband accompanied her on the nine-day educational trip. Jessica was still a transplant patient on immunosuppressants, going through T-cell chemotherapy with a lupus diagnosis. There were many variables on the nine-day trip that could have put her health at risk. Her husband, who knows how to monitor and support her medically, was welcomed by her professors as a participating student.
“He cooked with us, went to all the classes and jumped right in with no hesitation. They all believed he was a culinary student,” she said. “He told me that even if he couldn’t go, that I’d be okay. He encouraged me to go even if I was by myself. It was amazing. It was the most knowledgeable, tiring, structured and inspiring trip I have ever had in my life. I wouldn’t have wanted to go with anyone but our group.”
Shortly after returning from Italy, Jessica received a letter informing her that she had made the Dean’s List. She will continue her studies to graduate with her associate degree in culinary management in May 2026, followed by an associate degree in
dietetic management.
“It’s never a bad time to go back to school. Even if you’re not feeling it now, if you’re not ready this semester, then get ready,” she said. “If you want to change your career, want to concentrate on yourself or you’ve been sick and now want to get started, do it. Don’t let your life pass you by, because that’s what it does.”
Jessica encourages students of all ages to show up, embrace learning and use campus resources. She frequently visited the Career Resource Center, the tutoring centers and the library for help with classes or learning school technology.
Jessica’s still deciding whether to continue her education after HC. She has considered the University of South Florida to further her education in dietetic management and apply her own medical experiences to her professional future.