Beyond the Classroom: MHCC Alumni Thriving as Entrepreneurs in Food, Design, and Healthcare Meet graduates from Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) who are now successful business owners. Ranging from launching a line of allergen free Haitian cuisine food products to starting a prominent marketing studio to being the owner of a well-respected chiropractic practice, read on to learn how they got to where they are today and their advice for anyone who is looking to start their own business.
Elsy Dinvil: From Haiti to Entrepreneurship in Healthy Haitian Cuisine Before Elsy Dinvil was the owner of the thriving business Creole Me Up, she was a student at MHCC with a deep passion for Haitian cuisine. Born and raised in Jérémie, Haiti, Dinvil’s journey led her to the US with a full 2
scholarship in 1991, where she studied food science technology at MHCC. Adapting to a new country, language, and educational system was not without its challenges. Dinvil recalls her first days at MHCC as she arrived from her tropical homeland. “My first days at Mt. Hood Community College was frightening because I came from a tropical country. I remember long days of learning English and then when everyone was hot because it was the summer, I was still cold because in Haiti the weather was like 100 some degrees,” Dinvil said, “It was so much work to learn a foreign language and study chemistry… the professors kind of like took us under their wings so that we could move on.” Despite the cultural and climatic differences, she stuck with it, taking classes in English as a Mt. Hood Community College
second language, chemistry, geometry, and other subjects. Her education in food science technology gave her the knowledge and skills, which would prove vital in her later career in culinary arts. Dinvil’s path took a turn when she returned to Haiti after completing her studies at MHCC. For six years, she worked with prominent organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)-Haiti. Her life took a turn when she began having severe digestive issues, leading to a colon surgery. Her time through illness and healing sparked a passion for learning the profound connection between food and health. This event became a huge reason she started her business, Creole Me Up, which launched
