PHILIPSBURG--Three St. Maarten study-financing recipients recently won a number of accolades for outstanding performance at College of Professional Intermediate Education EIP in Aruba.

Bako Ato Maynard, who graduated with an Associate's degree in Architecture and Construction in EPI's Technology and Science Unit, was named Student of the Year for this unit. Maynard was also named best student in Architecture and Construction 2006-2010 and highest ranking student in the Architecture class of 2010.

Edel Jansen, who graduated with an Associate's degree in Electrical Engineering, was the best student in Electrical Engineering for the period 2006-2010 and received the highest ranking student award in the Electrical Engineering class of 2010.

Maybeline Whitter, who graduated with an Associate's of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts, was also the highest ranking student in the Culinary Arts-Hospitality and Tourism Management unit and received the Friendliness Award for the class of 2010.

St. Maarten Study Financing student representative in Aruba Sarah Morgan said parents, relatives and friends had travelled from St. Maarten to Aruba to celebrate with the graduates.

Morgan said the EPI Hospitality and Tourism Unit was a fully government-accredited institution of higher learning, granting an Associate's of Science degree in Hospitality Management and an Associate's of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts.

She said persons who wanted to pursue a Bachelor's degree should have no trouble getting into schools in the United States, such as Florida International University (FIU), University of Nevada (UNLV), University of Central Florida (UCF), Florida Institute of Technology, Webber International University, New York Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of New Orleans, Northern Arizona University (NAU), or schools in other countries such as Hotel Management School Leeuwarden in the Netherlands and University of Aruba.

"In almost all cases, as many as 68 credits are accepted for transfer, placing the student in the junior year towards graduation with the Bachelor's degree," she said, adding that EPI Hospitality and Tourism had established a working relationship with the institutions mentioned above.

Formal matriculation agreements for transfer exist with FIU, NAU, UNLV, UCF, Hotel Management School Leeuwarden and University of Aruba.

She said EPI Hospitality and Tourism was not a vocational school, nor an upper-level high school, but rather offered a full-fledged, two- to three-year college education comparable to the first two years of US colleges.