Watervliet High School senior Gabriella Novak is one of only two Capital Region BOCES students headed to one of the most prestigious culinary universities in the fall to build on her knowledge of the culinary arts.

Novak and Stephenie Jones of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BHBL) have been accepted into The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for the fall semester.

“It’s great,” said Novak, “it has been a dream of mine.”

Novak and Jones are second-year students in the Capital Region BOCES Culinary Tech Prep program where they earn high school and college credits through SUNY Schenectady.

Chef Paul Dolan, who teaches the Culinary Tech Prep class, said two classmates from the class going to the CIA is unheard of.

“It is rare to have a student go there, let alone two. In 19 years teaching at BOCES, I have only had about eight go there,” Dolan said. “These two are good students and are dedicated to wanting to do their best.”