Ashley Betts, a graduate of Westfield High School who studied culinary arts at the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES LoGuidice Educational Center in Fredonia, had to say goodbye to her summer vacation. While some of her former classmates might be enjoying family trips, beach outings, bonfires or lazy summer afternoons by the pool, Ashley will be getting a head start on her college career.

Earlier this year, Ashley learned that she had been accepted into the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., one of the most prominent culinary arts schools in the world. She expected to begin classes in the CIA’s Pastry Arts Management Program as the summer season wound to a close. Recently, though, the college made her an offer she couldn’t refuse – if she would start classes immediately, filling an open spot in the summer offerings, the college would knock several thousand dollars off her tuition.

It was a tough decision for Ashley, who studied at the LoGuidice Center under the tutelage of instructor David Caccamise during her junior and senior year of high school. Ashley even called Caccamise for advice, and she ultimately decided that the offer was too good to pass up.

“It’s a shame that Ashley will be missing out on her summer vacation, but she will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs in the world at the Culinary Institute of America and she’ll get a head start on her post-secondary education, not to mention some help with her tuition bill,” Caccamise said. “I am so proud of Ashley for being accepted into the Culinary Institute of America and I wish her the very best.”

Luckily, Ashley didn’t have to miss her graduation. On June 26, she traveled back from Hyde Park, which is located along the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie in southeastern New York, to attend the Westfield High School commencement ceremony and receive her diploma alongside all of her classmates.

For the last two years, Ashley attended culinary arts classes at the LoGuidice Center for half of the school day, and she excelled and was an active participant in the program. In December, Ashley was part of a team that won first-place for the senior class in the program’s annual gingerbread house competition. In January, for the second year in a row, she learned from some of the best chefs in the world who were representing the CIA at an E2CCB teaching event, including Fritz Sonnenschmidt, certified master chef and former dean of the CIA. And in April, she and some of her classmates served hors d’oeuvres and beverages for school officials during the E2CCB Annual Meeting.