My name is William "Creath" Karlen. In fall 2023, I will begin a new page in my culinary story by returning to school. In September 2023, I will be moving to New York to attend school at the Culinary Institute of America's main campus in Hyde Park, NY to study and further myself in culinary science.

I began working towards this goal at the end of 2021, shortly after moving from Sioux Falls, SD to Tallahassee, FL. However, this past July, my girlfriend and I were in a hit-and-run car accident just days after moving into our new home. The accident totaled my car and forced me to take a leave of absence from work. Due to the expenses from the car accident and having to take a break from work, I need assistance to afford the tuition and fees to begin this new part of my journey.

My culinary journey began a little over ten years ago as a part-time job while doing my undergraduate studies at the University of Sioux Falls. During this time, I also began to gain interest at home, looking through my Mom's cookbooks for anything that would reach out and grab my attention. What started as just a part-time job quickly turned into a passion that caused me to change the course I was on to devote myself to learning more and educating myself about all things food.

After graduating from USF, I decided to continue working with food rather than pursue a higher degree in philosophy. So, I began looking for more of what I considered a 'real kitchen' than fast food. This transition allowed me to meet people who would be instrumental to my path, one of which was a culinary graduate. This gentleman offered as much knowledge as he could, and he helped that small passion that I originally had to grow and mature and grow into something now much more involved.

After a couple of years, I had a chance to move into a full-scale restaurant, it was here where I began to watch myself take off along with my interest in fine cooking. I found more people and opportunities to learn and mature my culinary skills here. I had to start from the bottom, but with time and work, I learned so much from the chef and the fellow cooks that I found myself taking over the kitchen after just a few years.

My next step took me back to downtown Sioux Falls. It was here that I had the rare chance to work with some of the city's most talented cooks and bartenders. Again, my palate was challenged to move outside the boundaries I had been confined by up until this point. I learned about ingredients I had never experienced or even heard of and found my love for food increasing by the day.

After progressing in the years since I first stepped foot into a kitchen, I have received the opportunity to gain an experience at the CIA while working and studying with world-class chefs, walking and learning in the same halls as alumni, including Anthony Bourdain and Grant Achatz. Walking the halls of the buildings during my visit was highly inspirational, knowing that these chefs I aspire to be as great as have also gone down this path.

I am excited to begin this new stage of my life and where it will take me from there. I would be so grateful for any donation to help me get closer to achieving this next step.

To secure my seat with the CIA, I am in need of a starting deposit of $400 with the remaining balance of my tuition after financial aid due by July of 2023 for a total of $15,414.66.

Thank you for your encouragement and support!