September 21, 2021
SHL grad student wins scholarship
Cara Gordon, a graduate student in the Master of Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality program at ECU, recently won the $5,000 NEWH-The Hospitality Industry Network- 2021 scholarship. Cara has more than twenty years of experience in multiple hospitality roles, including front-of-the-house experience (as a server, bartender, and manager) and catering for several restaurants, and back-of-the-house experience as a banquet chef for the Westin Huntsville in Alabama. Most recently, she was the events director for Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC.
After the Coronavirus Pandemic changed the hospitality industry, Gordon decided to reassess her career goals and continue building on her industry experiences by applying to the School of Hospitality Leadership‘s graduate program. Gordon’s interests have revolved around increasing environmental awareness and sustainable practices in the foodservice industry. She has a passion for promoting awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans, driving her to innovate ways to decrease single-use plastics in restaurants.
Gordon currently serves as the Partnership and Communications Coordinator for ECU’s Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, a role that has opened many new opportunities for her to explore various sustainability endeavors. These opportunities led Gordon to explore a dual-degree option to complete ECU’s MBA degree program and the MS degree, further rounding out her education.
“The honor of this scholarship confirms my theory that returning to ECU to pursue my Master’s puts me exactly where I am supposed to be during these uncertain times,” said Gordon. “The world needs transformative leadership now more than ever. Becoming part of the NEWH Hospitality Network community gives me the tools and resources I need to tackle the unprecedented challenges faced by the industry head-on. Through the empowerment of ECU’s College of Business and School of Hospitality Leadership, I have found my voice, and I rise.”
After graduation, Gordon plans to pay it forward, possibly starting a consultancy business to help promote resource conservation and social equity in the food and beverage sector. Becoming part of the North Carolina region NEWH Hospitality Industry Network will broaden her connections with industry leaders. With Gordon’s undergraduate background in interior design, she would like to design a container home to accommodate sustainable peer-to-peer lodging after earning LEED Green Associate credentials.
Cara’s ultimate life goal is to take her knowledge, experience, and education abroad. She hopes to one day live, work and learn from the native Maori culture of New Zealand.