Hospitality Management
B.S. in Hospitality Management (2006)
Coakley & Williams Hotel Management Company
I oversee business development for the company. I have also overseen training and spent time in operations. Iu2019ve worked for our company now for almost 10 years – Development has been about 5-6 years.
I worked part time while going to UCF. The internship is one of the most important aspects of achieving a degree in hospitality management. You don’t realize it at the time but the experiences you go through add up to help make you more effective down the road interacting with people. This includes customers, team members, and the bosses for whom you work.
John Maxwell once said at a conference I attended, “It’s important to get out your comfort zone but not your gift zone.” I would have told myself to get out of my comfort zone quickly and early. Do jobs that stretch your ability and help you grow.
The importance of networking and presentation was the most valuable thing I learned during my time at UCF.
One piece of advice I remember receiving was from a guest speaker during one of the guest lecture series. He told everyone that he took the time to keep a daily thankfulness journal. I told myself that I would try it. 10+ years later I still continue to write consistently about the things I’m thankful for/things that have happened in a given day. Life seems to move faster and faster each year. It’s easy to get caught up in the problems and issues that occur and focus on the negatives. Being able to look back and remind yourself of all the positive things that have happened is a treasure.
Meeting my wife in theme-park management class.