“I’m on the Collegiate Ambassadors Team in Charlotte,” says Jonathan Bye, '08. “So when I give campus tours and answer visitors’ questions, I use my hospitality education and represent the university.”
An honors student, John worked with his peers to coordinate a presentation by former politician Charles Wilson, whose exploits were the subject of the recent film, Charlie Wilson’s War. “We did a conference call for the campus in our auditorium. Students emailed or called in questions, and Mr. Wilson answered them live.” John and his class then reported on the project in their own presentation to the campus community.
John attended the annual convention of the Society of Human Resource Managers in Las Vegas and completed an externship at the Doubletree Hotel Charlotte–Gateway Village, as well as an internship at the Omni Hotels. “We also benefit from our faculty’s experience,” says John. “Dr. Hanaa Osman is from Egypt and teaches cultural diversity management. She shares her background and brings in colleagues to talk with us about how to handle cultural differences in the workplace.”