Meet our Wilton Method Instructor of the Year!

October 29th, 2009 by Shawn Broda

Everyday, Wilton Method Instructors (WMIs) everywhere are teaching Wilton Cake Decorating classes. They are on the front lines with our consumers, sharing their passion for Wilton techniques and products, and loving every minute of it. In the nearly 35 year history of our program, WMIs have taught 4 million students how to decorate, touching lives and making memories every step of the way.

WMI of the Year

Wilton is proud to honor the accomplishments of our WMIs through special recognition programs. In the US and Canada, this includes a special award every year for the WMI who teaches the most students at a single retail store. I’m pleased to introduce you to Stephanie De La Cerda from Brownsville, TX, the 2007 AND 2008 WMI of the Year — our first ever back-to-back winner!

Since beginning her career as a Wilton Method Instructor in 2002, Stephanie has taught over 4,200 students, an amazing achievement for such a short time. Stephanie teaches in both English and Spanish, offers 10-12 courses a month, and partners with her store to make sure customers know about Wilton classes. She considers herself lucky to have a job doing what she loves so much.

Stephanie was in town recently enjoying one of her Instructor of the Year prizes, a trip to The Wilton School. A group of us had the pleasure of taking her out to dinner to celebrate her hard work and dedication to the Wilton program. Congratulations Stephanie!

For more information on The Wilton School or Wilton Method Classes in your area, please visit the Wilton Classes page. Learn more about becoming a Wilton Method Instructor!

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Shawn Broda Shawn is a Senior Class Marketing Manager for the Wilton Educational Marketing Department. She joined Wilton 15 years ago as a Product Development Coordinator, and learning how to decorate the Wilton Way was the best part of her training! In addition to working with customers in North America, Shawn also works with the International Sales team to expand Wilton Method classes around the world. Celebrations provide a common thread between cultures, and she is amazed and inspired by the excitement people have for Wilton products and programs, no matter where they live. Shawn loves cooking, baking and decorating, especially when she can share her creations with others.

8 Replies

  1. Brenda Walag says:
    November 5, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    I need to make my granddaughter a srapbook cake for her birthday. Need ideals on how to go about it.
    Thanks,
    Brenda Walag

    Reply
  2. Johnny Garza says:
    November 8, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    I am so proud of your instructor of the year Stephanie De la Cerda she is my wilton class instructor and she is awesome. My wife and I really enjoy taking her class. She is the best teacher we have had. Congratulations Ms. De la Cerda you are awesome. Johnny Garza Brownsville Texas

    Reply
  3. Lisa Golebiowski says:
    November 24, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    Me and my daughter bacame WMI’s back in May this year. We were two of around 24 other lucky Australian cake decorators to have this experience and today when Anjelica saw this post her instant response was “Mum, I want to be WMI of the year!”

    As we have taught less than a tenth of the students Stephanie has, she has a fair way to go I think but she is having a lot of fun doing it!

    One thing that we did notice is that the WMI of the year award is limited to America and Canada residents, and hope that one day this will be extended to all WMI’s as Anjelica has said she will move to America and thats a long way!

    Our congratulations does go to Stephanie, thats an amazing award to recieve two year in row.

    Regards,
    Lisa and Anjelica
    WMI’s in Adelaide, Australia

    Reply
    • Shawn Broda says:
      November 25, 2009 at 8:42 am

      Thanks for your comment ladies, it’s great to hear from you! Right now our recognition programs are separate for the US/Canada and the rest of the world simply because we’ve have the program here for 35 years. Our international program is very young by comparison, but watch for exciting things to come. Your classes are off to a great start, keep up the good work!

      Reply
      • Lisa Golebiowski says:
        November 25, 2009 at 6:54 pm

        Thank you Shawn our classes are indeed off to a great start! With so many bookings for the new year that Anjelica and I are having to teach a class each three nights a week (thats 6 classes a month!)

        Also, as it is school holidays over here Jelly has taken an interest in doing the Kid’s icing fun! course and that will start happening very shortly after christmas.

        I would just like to once again say thank you for such a great opportunity, as it has made me and my daughter WANT to work with eachother everyday (which we currently are) and share our passion with total strangers through the art of cake decorating.

        Hoping that something today makes you smile,

        Lisa and Anjelica.

        Reply
  4. Karen says:
    November 25, 2009 at 8:37 am

    Just wondering, how do you offer TEN to TWELVE courses in a one month period?

    I’d love to know! S omething for me to strive for!

    Thanks and congratulations!

    Reply
    • Shawn Broda says:
      November 25, 2009 at 8:48 am

      Good question! Being a Wilton Instructor is Stephanie’s full-time job, so she is able to offer day and evening classes every day during the week, as well as additional classes on the weekends. And, she teaches these classes in Spanish and English, which helps her draw from a large customer base.

      I know it’s unrealistic for most WMIs to be able to teach full time, but knowing your customer base and scheduling classes to maximize their interest is a tip that can be applied anywhere. Good luck with your future classes!

      Reply

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