Legally Blind Teen Defies All Odds and Excels at Cake Decorating
It is truly incredible what a person can achieve when they are given the opportunity. A young baker in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is turning heads because of her amazing ability that defies expectation.
Emily Athey is a student at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs. She is also legally blind, which has made it difficult for her to find a job. She can still see a little bit but only at a very close range, which makes most jobs difficult or impossible.
This challenge didn’t bother Mischa Halberg, and the owner and operator of Icing on the Cake bakery in Colorado Springs jumped at the chance to hire Emily.
Emily had applied for over 50 jobs before she landed this “sweet” opportunity, according to KKTV.
“She’s an absolute delight,” Halberg told KKTV. “She’s focused and fun to be around.”
Emily has been working at Icing on the Cake for about six months now and has already acquired a wide variety of baking skills.
“She has learned how to decorate cupcakes and cookies. She can also make fondant decorations, fill cake and cupcake pans,” Icing on the Cake wrote in a Facebook post.
“She is a gem and we are proud to have her as apart of our team.”
Despite her time at the bakery, Emily has only been decorating cakes since April. In this short period of time, she has been gathering a good amount of social media attention with her artistic eye.
One would never know from looking at the intricacy and beauty of her cakes that Emily was legally blind.
Emily’s mom, Yvonne Athey, is incredibly proud of her daughter, sharing and interacting with Icing on the Cake’s social media posts.
“I’m one proud mama,” she wrote in a comment on one of the posts introducing Emily to the public.
Emily is only working part time as “she learns life skills for the future,” although her skill set clearly is growing at a rapid pace, KKTV reported.
Emily’s story is not just notable because of her baking skills; it is also an encouragement to differently abled people and their families.
Tracy Bules of Colorado Springs was touched by the way Icing on the Cake treated Emily.
“As the mom of a deaf blind young adult, I would like to say thank you very much for really being an equal opportunity employer. My son has an IT degree and has looked for work in his field for two years. Will be buying my next cake from you,” she wrote on the company’s Facebook page.
Halberg is very proud of Emily’s accomplishments so far and hopes she is able to stay on the baking team for a while.
“I am happy to have Emily as a part of my team, ” Halberg said on her bakery’s Facebook post. “She is an incredible young lady. She has blown us away with her talent.”
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