Cathy Aho knows cooking to be an art form.

She taught her “children” the same belief.

“I always loved to cook, and (students and I) would all plan a meal out and go shopping. At the end, everybody had their belly full and food was leftover. It was fun,” the Beddow/Thorpe Hall custodian said.

Aho, a Mount Pleasant resident, worked the 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shift Saturday and has worked at Central Michigan University for 22 years. For the past three years, she has taught a cooking class for some residents in the hall.

Aho began teaching because students cannot live off of ravioli, she said.

“I panicked at first, like, ‘What am I doing?’ and I realized everything I picked up in the grocery store was something to talk about,” she said.

For Aho, there is always something to say, especially to this age group, because she remembers life being exciting.

“They are not just a bunch of 18-year-old college students — they really are our future,” she said.

Her most memorable moment started as a joke. She and a student applied to the game show “Deal or No Deal.” After two months of preparing, they submitted their application video. Aho was moved, although they did not get a call back.

“I was so touched by the work and time they put into it. My heart was so big,” she said.

At 5 feet tall, Aho does not think she stands out, and she sometimes falters with procrastination and keeping in touch with friends.

But she said she still stays inspired by her faith in God and believes everyone has a purpose.

“Some people have a gift of singing and some have gift for cleaning. It’s all important and it’s all hand-picked,” she said.

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E-mail the author: Sherri Keaton