First CIA transfer student earns degree

The first transfer student from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, Texas, to the CIA's flagship campus in Hyde Park, N.Y., will receive her associate's degree in culinary arts on Feb. 27. Kaiulani Tellez-Giron is one of nine CIA students who have transferred to Hyde Park in pursuit of a culinary arts degree after studying for seven months and earning a certificate at the college's San Antonio campus.

The ability of students to begin their education in San Antonio and complete it in Hyde Park is one benefit of the college's El Sueño initiative, which aims to elevate the global status of Latin American cuisines through research and education. In 2007, philanthropist Kit Goldsbury made a pledge of nearly $35 million for scholarships and facilities to support El Sueño.

Tellez-Giron will remain at the CIA's Hyde Park campus to earn her bachelor's degree in culinary arts management. She plans to then earn her master's in food science at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.