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RAVEN SYMONE

 's ultimate career obsession? Sure, she loves starring in her own Disney Channel TV show, dropping "This is My Life" (her debut album with Hollywood Records) and hitting the big screen ("The Princess Diaries 2," "Fat Albert," and "All-American Girl"). And though she hopes to continue building upon her household name, what she really hungers for is becoming famous in the kitchen.

"I want to go to culinary school and become an executive chef," explains the 18-year-old star. For Raven, the dream of one day attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France illustrates her belief in finding an educational path perfectly aligned with your academic tastes.

"It's your life, so you should go to a college you know you're going to get all the benefits from, not because someone else says it's good for you," she explains. You may not think the actress, who has been working since she was just four years old (she played Olivia on The Cosby Show), was ever uncertain about her future. But during high school, she felt the same pressure as you, deliberating between making the "right" college decision and the right decision for her.

"It took me awhile to decide. I looked at USC [University of Southern California] and UCLA [University of California at Los Angeles], but realized I wouldn't enjoy myself there. School is a challenge, so if I wanted to get the best from it, I'd have to find something I liked."

She's even learned to apply that concept to things she's not great at, like math. She recalls having to attend summer school, to make up for a horrible grade she got in class.

"I was really bad at math, so I made myself find things I liked," she explains. She found value in discovering different ways of coming up with the answers. When she graduated with an A, everyone took notice. "My mom's jaw dropped," Raven recalls. "Now, my brother's in school, and I'm helping him.

Even though she made it through math, she knows studying numbers would drive her nuts in college. "Study something you know you'd enjoy so you won't waste your time and won't party the whole time," she says. "You need to focus on your education."

And for Raven, that means sampling a future culinary career. "My mom always says, 'Hollywood is fabulous. You visit the best places and have a great lifestyle -- but you need something to fall back on.'"

In her spare time you'll find this teen diva getting good practice for her academic future, cooking for her family and friends. "I took over cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners," Raven says.

That is, of course, in between cooking up a storm in Hollywood.


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Gina LaGuardia is the Editor-in-Chief of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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