This fall, I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from The Employment Guide through the American Hotel & Lodging Association. I am now a senior Hospitality Management student at Ashland University, a mid-sized liberal arts school located in Ashland, Ohio. I will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration this December.

It took me awhile to make the decision to major in Hospitality Management. I actually spent a year at a large state school before transferring to Ashland, when I decided on the major. I had always seen the major written in college brochures, and thought it sounded interesting. However, it never seemed like an option. I think that I, like a lot of people, didn't see the hospitality industry as such a great opportunity. There is much more to it than just hotels and restaurants--any business where the primary focus is customer service is in the hospitality industry.

You won't know until you try

Many students fail to take advantage of scholarship opportunities outside of their schools. You can find them by looking at professional organizations within your concentration. I received my scholarship through the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Each state has their own hotel & lodging association which may offer scholarships. Keep in mind that if you don't apply for the scholarship you will never get it. I am by no means a straight-A scholar. I get decent grades and participate in clubs that relate to my major on campus. All I did was fill out a form with my information, and wrote a one page essay on what I can contribute to the hospitality industry. Many scholarships don't receive a large number of applicants. Take the time to apply for them; these organizations want to give out the money. Tuition is way too high to not seek any assistance other than your school's financial aid office.

Hospitality Management as a career path

I've always loved traveling, eating out, and staying at hotels. I think that is where my initial interest in the hospitality industry started. My only employment experience is in the hospitality industry, and I've decided I want to make a career out of it. I can't just sit in an office doing the same thing all day. The industry is fast-paced and always changing, as customer needs change over time. I love managing people, and think it's a great challenge to keep everything running smoothly in the eye of the customer, no matter what things look like behind thing scenes. The hospitality industry can be found all over. You can work in any state, any country, and any city. I performed an internship at a hotel in Denali National Park in Alaska, and it was run by a leading hospitality company, Aramark. The industry is wide open, and there are so many components of it. I feel like if I don't like one aspect of it, I can try something entirely different within the same industry.

Personally, I'm very interested in hotels. Long term I'd like to be the general manager of a large hotel and resort. I'm looking to get a second internship in this summer, preferably with a major hotel company. Upon graduation in December, I'd like to get a job as a manager for one of these companies, hopefully entering a manager training program. I'll check in with some people I've met in the industry and try and use my resources at The Employment Guide.