A 14-person delegation from the Cheyney University Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management (HRTM) Programparticipated in the annual National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) Northeast Regional Conference, October 27 – 29, at the Hyatt Place State College and Penn State University in State College, PA.
The Cheyney team encompassed 12 HRTM majors and minors, and students from the Keystone Honors Academy from various classifications including, Deion Adjei, Kinza Andrew, Monet Brown, Corey England, Giles Letlough, Sharell Reddin, Katya Richie, Yosef Rogers, William Sorrell, Paris Tillman, Ebonee Weathers and Monae Williams, along with faculty members Professor Herbert Black (Co-Advisor) and Dr. Ivan Turnipseed (Co-Advisor & HRTM Program Coordinator).
The highly engaging, three-day event, centered around the theme, “Taking Charge of Change: Evolving, Embracing & Innovating,” and featured more than 150 attendees from hospitality programs throughout the region, including Cornell University, Johnson & Wales University, Penn State University and Temple University.
“This was a very beneficial experience for me, outside of learning, I was offered an internship and this was my first time attending the conference,” said HRTM major Kinza Andrew. The freshman, who originally hails from the island of Grenada, was offered a promising internship opportunity with Sodexo, housed at the picturesque Sandals resort in her hometown.
Andrew, along with fellow student Paris Tillman were also selected as Cheyney’s official National Delegates following their participation in a NSMH Candidate and Delegates informational meeting.
“Paris and I will split the responsibility of being the ambassadors of our chapter. We will vote in the annual NSMH election and handle related business on behalf of Cheyney and determine other leadership roles,” says Andrew. Students Deion Adjei, Corey England and Yosef Rodgers are also mulling runs for positions on the national board.
The conference also provided students the opportunity to network with industry professionals and hospitality peers, while partaking in informative workshops that focused on bridging the gap between the classroom and boardroom, how to prepare for industry success and career options in today’s highly competitive, and lucrative hospitality field.
In addition to interactive workshops, students participated in the Industry Information Session, where this year’s corporate partners (Brinker International, Drury Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Sodexo) presented company overviews and fielded audience questions about their organizations and available internship, management trainee, and direct placement opportunities.
Travel and other accommodations for this year’s NSMH NE Regional Conference was supported, in part, by funding from the Keystone Honors Academy and the Title III Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) grant.