For Johnson & Wales University alumni, graduation is not the end of the JWU experience. It is the beginning of a lifelong connection that can shape careers, open doors and ultimately extend the university’s impact far beyond its campuses. 

That spirit was on display this fall, when JWU Providence welcomed alumni, families and friends back to campus for its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards. This year’s honorees, Karolina Guilcapi ’06 and Arnaldo Almonte ’09, have each built accomplished careers while continuing to invest their time and talent in the development of others. 

Guilcapi received the Alumni Service Award, recognizing an active and engaged alum who has made significant contributions to the JWU community. Almonte received the Outstanding Achievement Award, honoring an alum whose work has made a meaningful impact within their industry and who serves as a role model for the larger JWU community. 

For both, the path from JWU to professional success has been shaped not only by what they learned in the classroom, but by the people, experiences and opportunities that surrounded them. 

From JWU to the world — and back again 

Since graduating in 2006, Guilcapi has built a career that has taken her around the globe. She has traveled to more than 53 countries, appeared on radio, podcasts and television, founded a bespoke luxury culinary travel company and been recognized by Travel + Leisure as a South America Travel Expert. She is also the author of Passport to Sales, sharing her expertise in travel sales and business development. 

But perhaps one of the most meaningful parts of her JWU story is the way she has continued to bring that expertise home. 

Guilcapi has remained actively connected to the university through study-abroad programs and student groups, offering mentorship and perspective to the next generation of Wildcats. 

Her story reflects a central part of the JWU experience: learning in an environment that connects students with industries, people and experiences that can take them far beyond the classroom — and then having a community to return to as their careers evolve. 

In her acceptance speech, Guilcapi reflected on the meaningful ways her time at JWU shaped her life. “At JWU, I discovered a love for travel, food and even my husband. You could say JWU really did lead me to the great loves of my life.” 

“Being a member of the Johnson & Wales community does not end at graduation,” said Bryan Lavin, professor in the College of Hospitality & Business, who presented Guilcapi with the Alumni Service Award. “It is about connection. It is about giving back.” 

Guilcapi has made that connection reciprocal, using her own experiences to help open doors for others. 

Building hospitality experiences and the people behind them 

For Almonte, JWU provided the foundation for a career spent building exceptional hospitality experiences and developing the people who make them possible. 

A 2009 Hotel Management graduate, Almonte began his career in Rhode Island, where his work in hotel operations and team development earned him recognition as one of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association’s 30 Under 30 Emerging Hospitality Leaders. 

His career has since taken him through luxury, lifestyle, independent and boutique properties across New England. At the Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel, Boston’s Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel and Studio Allston, he helped strengthen operations, develop teams and create distinctive guest experiences. 

In 2023, he took the helm at Graduate Providence while also contributing his leadership to the broader hospitality community through organizations including the Rhode Island Hospitality Association and Providence Tourism Council and as secretary of the GoProvidence Executive Board. 

Today, as managing director of The Atlas Hotel Boston, Almonte oversees the property’s operations, strategy and culture as it establishes itself as a distinctive luxury destination. 

His influence, however, extends beyond the hotels he leads. Almonte is committed to developing future hospitality professionals, fostering inclusive workplaces and creating experiences that have an impact on both guests and the communities around them. 

“My time at Johnson & Wales University laid the foundation for both my professional career and personal growth. The lessons I learned there extended well beyond the classroom, instilling values of hard work, resilience, and lifelong learning. This award is especially meaningful because it reflects a journey that began at JWU and was profoundly shaped by mentors like Professor Debbie Howarth.” 

That student-faculty bond was on full display as Professor Howarth presented Almonte with his Outstanding Achievement Award. 

“Tonight, we recognize a leader whose career reflects the very best of hospitality and the Wildcat Way,” shared Howarth. “A commitment to excellence, a talent for bringing people together, and the true understanding that great hotels are built by the people who care for them.”  

The JWU effect 

The careers of Guilcapi and Almonte look different, but their stories share a common thread: the impact of a JWU education can travel well beyond the campus. 

It can be found in the teams a leader develops, the businesses and organizations they strengthen and the communities they help shape. And it can come full circle when those same alumni return to JWU to share what they have learned with the next generation. 

That ongoing exchange — between alumni, students, faculty, industry and community — is part of what makes the Wildcat network distinctive. 

As JWU celebrates Guilcapi and Almonte, it also celebrates the broader impact of a university community that prepares people not simply to enter their industries, but to contribute to them and to bring others along with them. 

As Vice President of Advancement & Alumni Relations Emily Quinn reminded guests during the ceremony, the relationship with JWU does not end at commencement. It is the moment when membership as a “Wildcat for Life” begins.