High school students explore careers in hospitality

Dozens of area high school students had the opportunity to get personal attention on career paths they may have never considered – and in career fields that have 100% job placement after graduating from East Carolina University. The School of Hospitality Leadership’s annual Career Pathways Conference brought together industry leaders and current ECU students to present to and talk with the rural high school students.

“Events like this increase awareness, connect students with real industry professionals and promote the strong outcomes of our program,” said Crystal French, university program associate with the School of Hospitality Leadership.

French said there were 11 hospitality leaders in attendance from several different industries. The leaders talked about the real career and internship opportunities in eastern North Carolina.

The opening speaker, Sierra Jones, discussed her experience with hospitality. Jones is the vice president of destination marketing and development with Visit Greenville, NC. The SHL alumna reflected on her educational career that included beginning at Lenoir Community College and ending with a master’s degree from ECU. She highlighted the different careers, just with Visit Greenville, NC, that can come from an SHL degree.

As an opportunity to learn from their peers, the high school students were part of a panel discussion with the current ECU SHL students. French said that the atmosphere provided an authentic student perspective. The SHL students talked about what got them thinking about a career in the hospitality industry and what they are looking to do after graduation.

The companies that were represented included the Raleigh Convention Center, Opal Properties, Bentwinds Country Club, Equipment Plus, HGI-Greenville, Aramark, CEC Entertainment and Forest Creek Gold Club.