For a lot of Auburn students, graduation is just around the corner, leaving most with big questions about the future and very few answers. But for Auburn senior Anna Kate Mullinix, the answer to what she wants her future to hold is clear.
The dream is Imperfection Bakery, a suiting name for a bakery that will not only produce delicious treats, but also restore the self-esteem and self-worth of women who have suffered from human trafficking.
The idea started in her kitchen, a simple conversation with her mom over what Mullinix planned to do after college graduation.
"What it kind of boiled down to is that I love two things: I love people and I love baking," she said. "My mom and I had a conversation and somehow combined those two loves. Whether it's through hunger, not having clean water or human trafficking, social justice issues are great passions of mine."
The idea of Imperfection Bakery revolves around, as the website puts, "Loving people. Doing good. (And) baking treats." Mullinix hopes to reach out to women who have been victims of physical oppression in order to help them get their lives back on track after experiencing such physical and mental anguish.
Faith also plays a big role in Mullinix's life, and is a big reason behind why she has decided to start the bakery.
"As a Christian, I am commanded to seek justice for those who are oppressed, and this is a way of using the talents that I've been given to do that," she said.
Mullinix said she hopes that Imperfection Bakery will have the ability to teach women new and necessary skills that will help them with future employers. This program would give women the resources to get their lives back to a good place, all the while restoring their self-esteem and self-worth after enduring such a tragic past.
According to the website, "Imperfection Bakery would take in classes of 8-12 women for a given period of time, teach them things like pastry and baking skills, how to cook, how to garden, waitressing, how to manage finances and how to work with others while restoring their humanity, dignity and value."
Mullinix plans to reach out to women who are recovering in transitional living homes across the United States. These homes take women in right after they have been rescued from slavery and are the first step in the healing process. Imperfection Bakery hopes to continue the fight for the mental, physical and spiritual rehabilitation that these women will have to endure once they have been rescued.
With a healthy environment and lots of love, Mullinix hopes to change these women's lives forever.
"I have been raised to believe that my purpose in life is to love and care for others, no matter what their past," she said. "As a hunger studies minor and someone who has had a great deal of experience working with people who have experienced physical oppression, I know that I don't want a conventional job. I want to make a difference."
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