This summer, I had an amazing opportunity to attend a two-week summer program at the University of Massachusetts for Hospitality and Tourism Management. During those two weeks, I got to live in the dorm at UMass, as well as have lectures about the different sectors in hospitality management and go on incredible day trips. Every day we had class from nine to four, which was filled with team-building activities as well as information about different avenues that hospitality management can offer. We also had two culinary sessions, on one day we made American-style dishes, and the other day we made international cuisine. In those cooking sessions, we each had a partner, and together we prepared one dish, and then everyone plated and served their dishes to the class. By far one of my favorite things about this program was the day trips we took: one was to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA, and the other was to Boston, MA. At the Red Lion Inn, we got a private tour of the property by the
owner, who shared the history of the Inn as well as the charm of the Inn. From that experience, I found out that I can see myself working in a small inn or a small resort. I truly loved the historical part of it as well as the diversity of the property. Our next field trip was to Boston, where we went to Davio’s Italian Restaurant in Boston Seaport. At the restaurant, we got a presentation from the manager of that location, got a private tour of the restaurant, and got the chance to try their food. After that experience, we went to Fenway, where the Boston Red Sox play, and got a behind-the-scenes tour and explanation of what they do. From everything that I learned and saw at the two-week summer program at UMass, I am very certain that I want to major in Hospitality and Tourism Management in college.
