CIA Student Kayla Stock Wins Gold at SkillsUSA

Kayla Stock, a sophomore from Columbus, OH, placed first and earned a gold medal at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference in Kansas City, MO this past June.

Practicing every weekend, Kayla felt prepared and confident going into her regional and state competitions earlier this year. The national competition was more stressful, as Kayla found herself pressed for practice time while on extern at Cameron Mitchell’s M in downtown Columbus, OH.She had a lot on her plate, but all her hard work certainly paid off!

“The competition was crazy amazing. I went back to CIA for two weekends to practice with Chef Mullooly on my menu, time lines, plating, etc…my practice sessions went incredibly well, and my Chef at M let me come in to cook him my dishes and receive his feedback also. I had so many people backing me up and helping me in so many ways possible, and I’ve really gotten the best out of my education so far.”

The CIA chapter of SkillsUSA has been active for eight years. In that time, CIA students have won eight NY State competitions and seven national medals, five golds and two silvers. “These achievements prove that CIA students are the best competitors in the USA and are destined to become the top leaders in the foodservice industry,” said CIA SkillsUSA advisor Robert Mullooly ’93.