For nearly three decades, Teaching Assistant Ann Marie Bizzari has remained inspired by her career at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES by simply having fun each and every day.

Bizzari, who began her BOCES employment in 1993 as a teacher aide, has been a teaching assistant in the Exploration in Food Service and Hospitality program for the last four-plus years.

“This job is fun. It’s great to work directly with the students,” she said. “I enjoy the one-on-one relationships we get to build.”

Bizzari said she enjoys being in the kitchen with students, where they whip up new recipes and work quickly to get special orders out on time. She said it’s always great to watch the students achieve their goals as the school year progresses.

“For a lot of them it’s their first time in a kitchen. So, to start from nothing to be able to read a recipe, it’s just great to see,” she said.

When asked what the best part of her day is, Bizzari said being able to interact with students and colleagues.

“The students are great, and of course Kelly (Bryant) is great to work with each day,” she said. “The people that work here are some of the best people you could ask to work with. They are committed and they are knowledgeable. The students who come here are lucky to learn from any one of these programs.”

In her free time, Bizzari enjoys hosting family gatherings and spending time with her kids. She also enjoys gardening, exercising, and reading.