Essays

Sonia Beharry - 2006
Ever since I decided to pursue my degree in Hospitality Management, one question has always been asked - "Why?" One would think I would have a definite answer but I don't. The only thing that comes to mind as soon as I am asked this question is the countless parties, dinners and family barbeques hosted by my house. As far as I can remember, I'm always the one inviting family and friends over, much to the annoyance of my mother, because I rarely inform her beforehand. It's not that I enjoy angering her; it’s that I have a genuine love of entertaining people. I may not personally cater the event, but I do go around ensuring that everyone's comfort. I think it's this innate hospitable nature of mine that is largely responsible for my choice of a career in hotel and tourism management.

Another influential factor is that of my love of travelling. I have been fortunate enough to be travelling since the age of three months; meeting and interacting with people from the world over. This passion has allowed me to meet so many people from all walks of life, each with varied and equally fascinating cultures. Yet another reason can be the fact that I am from Trinidad and Tobago, a country where tourism is a key element in our economy.

I made this career choice quite early, thus I chose to focus primarily on business subjects throughout high school, especially in my last two years where my concentration lay in Accounts, Business Studies and Spanish courses, which in my opinion, would provide an excellent foundation for a career in whatever field of Hospitality. Following my Cambridge Advanced Level examinations, another arduous task was revealed, where was I going to complete my tertiary education?

From the beginning I knew I that I wanted to attend a foreign university. In my opinion, staying in Trinidad would only limit me. I figured by completing my degree abroad I would gain international exposure, learn to interact with and respect people of different cultures as well as have the opportunity for internships with various organizations as opposed to the few available at home.

I eventually chose to attend Florida International University for a number of reasons. Firstly, their School of Hospitality and Tourism ranks among the Top Five in the United States of America, and is widely recognized and accredited with success. Secondly, I had travelled to Miami numerous times before, so I was already acclimatized with the environment. Florida's climate is also quite similar to Trinidad’s and for me that was a big plus. Lastly, I was aware that the student population was very diverse so I knew I would be able to meet different people with different backgrounds and cultures, who could enrich my life experiences.

After completing my first year, I can safely and confidently say that choosing to attend FIU was one of my best decisions. I cannot lie, I had a blast this year and experienced so many new and exciting things that I'm not sure I would have been privy to if I were in Trinidad. I have met and become friends with people from Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Belize, Haiti, St. Croix, Jamaica, various other states in the United States and of course, many Trinidadians! Living on campus and attending classes with students from all over the world has taught me the valuable lesson of respecting and tolerating these different people and their cultures.

I was a member of a few clubs, one being Panther Power; the spirit group of our university that is responsible for revving up crowds at football games and other fun events. I volunteered at FIU's Hospitality Career Fair as well as FIU's annual Latin fusion concert.

This past spring, I took my first Hospitality course and loved it! The class touched on all areas of the industry and we were fortunate to have guest speakers from almost all facets to give us advice from their first-hand experiences. I met General Managers of Hilton hotels, Human Resource managers from The Mandarin Oriental and Party planners who have worked with Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker. I know I would not have had these chances in Trinidad and Tobago.

Although I have mainly talked about how much I enjoyed the year, I hope that it's clear that my academics remain my number one priority. Both semesters I have achieved a GPA of 3.5 and higher, thus placing me on the Dean's List. My academic achievements have also helped in my attaining scholarships from both FIU as well as the Caribbean Hotel Foundation; both of which are extremely helpful in my quest to achieve my degree.

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