SHL Alumni Profile: Christen Flowers

by Christen Jester, location manager, Aramark

East Carolina University’s Hospitality Program nurtured my passion and gave me the tools to succeed.

When I walked into my first hospitality class with Dr. Crawford, I was still playing with the idea of choosing another major. However, by the end of that class that was no longer the case. Without a doubt, I was convinced the hospitality management major was for me. Dr. Crawford expressed everything I had been looking for in one class: I wanted to provide amazing experiences for customers, and I didn’t mind working hard to make that happen.

From that point on, every class I took in the program cultivated my passion.  Having to take classes in different concentrations provided opportunities to discover which branch of hospitality was the best fit for me. After working in the cooking classes with chef de Chabert-Rios, I soon discovered that food and beverage was the sector where I’d be able to have more than a job. I would have a career.

I wouldn’t just go to work to earn a living every day, but I would go to a career that fulfilled me. Not only did the professors and classes foster my passion, but they also nurtured my confidence as a leader.

Through the Hospitality Program, I heard about a scholarship and job with Aramark, a Fortune 500 contracted company, and with a little push from one of my professors, I applied. Although I didn’t receive the scholarship, I was asked to join their student manager program, and I accepted.  A year later, I earned the scholarship, as well as a promise for a job after graduation. Now, after seven years, several life-changing mentors, a move and a few promotions later, I am still with Aramark.

The Hospitality Program at East Carolina University’s School of Hospitality Leadership showed me a path to live my passion every day with a career instead of a job.

The School of Hospitality Leadership in the College of Business has the largest student enrollment in the North Carolina university system.

• Categories:
• Alumni
• School of Hospitality Leadership