Alexandria (Alexa) Earl


Major

Hospitality Management

Degree(s) earned at UCF and year degree(s) was/were conferred

Hospitality Management, B.S. (2012)

Employer

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (Orlando, Florida)

What do you do and how long have you been doing it?

I am currently the Manager of Global Internal Communications and Culture for Marriott Vacations Worldwide. I have been in my current role since December 2012. I have been with the Company since November 2011. Prior to this, I was a front desk Guest Services Representative at one of our MVW resorts. After graduating in May 2012, I transferred into a Corporate internship in August 2012, and then applied for my management role in December 2012.

In what ways are you involved in the community outside of work?

As a result of my position with MVW, I work closely with our Public Relations and “Care” teams, which has led to my involvement with fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. I also provide the majority of the communications support for these fundraisers. My team sits within Human Resources, and we participate in community outreach on a monthly basis. This year, we worked with the Central Florida Ronald McDonald Houses and The Mustard Seed of Central Florida. Due to my central communications role within the company, there are quite a few other initiatives that go on annually for which I provide communications and sometimes volunteer support. These include: a global Harvest for Hunger initiative in the fall, a nation-wide “Torch Relay” to benefit CMN Hospitals, and many others. This summer I submitted an application to become a mentor at Rosen this fall and am looking forward to exploring that as a new opportunity to grow, and to offer any guidance and help that I can for current Rosen students.

Did you work full or part time as a UCF student? How do you think this helped you when you were seeking a permanent position?

I worked full time during my last two years as a UCF student. Learning to balance the work from my courses as well as a full time schedule really helped me learn and implement better time management skills. Working within the industry also made it easier to apply daily situations to what I was learning in my classes. I think that potential employers definitely take notice when you show the ability to manage your time, schedules, and workload well before you even graduate.

What was your major? How did you determine your major? Did you change majors while at UCF?

I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. When I started my freshman year, I was actually a Business Management major at UCF main campus, but I felt a bit lost (as most freshman do) and didn’t feel that it was the right fit. I heard about Rosen from one of my friends, braved the commute, and instantly felt more connected to the school and what I was doing.

Are you working in the field of industry/business you thought you would? Is your career what you expected it would be? How is it different? How is it similar to what you expected?

Absolutely not. I dove into this industry in various jobs and internships and found myself working at the front desk of a timeshare resort. Most college students have no idea what timeshare is, or have heard horror stories from their parents. I had no idea what to expect on my first day, but all of the people and experiences that I encountered reinforced my reasoning for choosing Hospitality Management as my major. I had been in my role at the front desk for about five months or so, and during my Hospitality Communications class we had a guest speaker who happened to work for MVW as well. I got her contact information from my professor, Vicki Lavendol, and reached out to her after class. That guest speaker is now my boss. She created an internship at Corporate for me the fall after I graduated from Rosen, and I interviewed for my current role four months later. I couldn’t have predicted any of this sitting in class at Rosen before graduation. I expected to explore the industry a bit, but never expected to find myself in a Corporate role within a year of graduation. It definitely makes me excited for the opportunities to come.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

Network, network, network. Get involved in as much as you have the bandwidth for. It will all pay off.

What was the best advice you received from someone at UCF? Who gave you the advice?

In summary: Networking, good communication, and maintaining relationships is crucial to your success. Professor Vicki Lavendol gave me this advice.

Did you participate in co-curricular activities, like undergraduate research? An internship? A fraternity or sorority? A club or organization? Student Government Association? What did you learn?

I participated in the three required internships at UCF Rosen. I also participated in any job shadowing opportunities available to gain a better understanding of different roles within the industry. Experience really does make the courses that you take more impactful. I was involved in Knight Thon and still continue to network with those committee members. It may not have set in until after graduation, but all of the clubs and organizations in college are opportunities to network, and those can be crucial down the road.

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