Food, Fordham, and freshman year: Alessandra Ciuffo, BS ’22
Undergraduate | Sep 07, 2018 | admin
Have you noticed the new faces on campus this fall? Students comprising the Gabelli School Class of 2022 bring with them a range experiences and notable extracurricular roles, from polyglots to chess champions.
Today we’re talking with Alessandra Ciuffo, who attends classes on the Rose Hill campus.
What is your hometown?
My hometown is Whitestone, New York.
Why did you choose the Gabelli School?
When selecting a college to attend, the most important things I took into consideration were the academics and location. After completing the NYC Business Insider summer program the summer entering my senior year of high school, I knew Gabelli was the school for me. I was able to experience firsthand the dedicated faculty and the opportunities which arise from hard work and dedication. The idea of attending one of the top-rated business schools, paired with an idyllic campus featuring acres of green and Gothic architecture with access to Manhattan in under 30 minutes, painted the ideal college experience for me.
How did you spend your summer?
This summer I was fortunate enough to travel to a few different countries including Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Italy. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do because I truly enjoy learning about the culture, food, and history each country has to offer. While learning about the diversity of each country, traveling also helps me understand how interconnected humanity is. In between my travels I spent time reading, cooking, going to the beach, hanging out with friends and family, taking local excursions, and, most importantly, mentally preparing for this exciting year to come.
What are you looking forward to most about your freshman year?
I am most looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone, meeting lots of new people, learning new things, embarking on many adventures, and exploring the city and local area.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
After graduating I plan to merge the business and culinary worlds. My absolute dream is to travel around to various countries in order to gain inspiration that I would then incorporate when starting my own culinary business.
What are your interests outside of academics?
My culinary interests began from a young age. When I was 11 years old I was selected to compete on a web series called Super Chef Kids. Since then I have been on several TV shows on the Food Network, including Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off and Guy’s Grocery Games, and on the Rachael Ray show. I was featured in a cookbook, Future Chefs by Ramin Ganeshram, and have created a website. I’ve also taken part in multiple charity events and nonprofit organizations such as No Kid Hungry and Girl Scouts of the USA.
Fun fact:
At the age of 15 I won the cooking competition show Guy’s Grocery Games.
