Kamelyn Báez Peña on Empire State University’s Dual Degree Program and Keeping Your Culture Close

(MANHATTAN, NY — May 13, 2025) Kamelyn Báez Peña has been working hard to earn a dual B.S. degree from Empire State University and Universidad APEC (UNAPEC) of the Dominican Republic in business management with a concentration in economics. On May 22, she will walk the stage at the New York City Center in Manhattan to celebrate her achievement.

Local to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Báez Peña resides in a multigenerational household with her mother, sister, and niece. She underscores the beauty of her hometown, and her eyes light up as she shares her love of Dominican cuisine. For first-time visitors, she recommends cultural staple dishes like “la bandera,” “the flag,” which contains rice, beans, chicken, fried plantains, and salami.

The dual degree program, which she has completed remotely from Santo Domingo, provides several concentrations students can choose from–including finance, economics, human resources, and management, among others. Báez Peña comments, “I chose economics—I like that concentration.”

Báez Peña was enrolled in UNAPEC prior to joining Empire State University through the dual degree program offered between both universities, which has stood since 2006. The program recently garnered new interest through its first residency hosted in the Dominican Republic since before the pandemic.

Receiving her first degree in international business is what incited Báez Peña to pursue the dual degree program, as it covers related areas such as finance, economics, and management. “[The dual degree program] gave me the confidence to do things—I never studied in another language [before]. It was a huge change,” she comments. Báez Peña feels that Empire State University has equipped her with tools for academic success that support both online learning and learning in a different language.

Seeing case studies from economies Báez Peña was familiar with in homework assignments and other course content fueled that sense of confidence, strengthening the learning outcomes of her academic journey. An experience that stands out to her is learning under Professor Luis Camacho, who is also from the Dominican Republic. To provide students with a comprehensive view of the subject matter, Camacho approached teaching Ethics for Global Economy from the perspective of both U.S. and Dominican economic and political processes. Now, Báez Peña is receiving two degrees that attest to her ability to apply economic principles across contexts, as well as her bilingual capabilities.

She feels fulfilled by her acceptance to the dual degree program between Empire State University and UNAPEC—an opportunity which not all students in her position were able to attain. The program has provided a multicultural lens for her studies—a useful vantage point in today’s increasingly globalized and interlinked world.

There may be a master’s degree on the horizon for Báez Peña—she comments that she would like to continue her studies abroad, in Spain. She is most drawn to e-commerce, international economy, or international commerce as potential areas of study. Báez Peña also hopes to apply for scholarships that will aid her academic journey. “I’m interested not only in the economies themselves, but in the way they shape and influence the lives of people who participate in them,” she explains, “It’s not just numbers.”

Being an international student has shaped Báez Peña’s academic journey in many ways, including navigating the balance between assimilation and staying true to one’s own cultural identity. She believes in the power of timing, and the importance of discipline when it comes to succeeding in online learning environments. “What’s most rewarding is the university providing opportunities [for students],” says Báez Peña about her journey as a forthcoming graduate of the dual degree program. She advises fellow international students to “always do your best, and keep your country with you.”