nsmh nationals

This past weekend I attended the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality’s 22nd Annual National Conference. I can not even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this experience. Not only was it eye-opening and completely exhilarating on a professional level, but also helped me develop on a personal level. Carl and Brian can't say enough how getting involved will help you network and maintain relationships, but really, it’s a difficult sensation to describe what Nationals was like. The biggest thing to understand is, when else would you ever be in the same room as so many hospitality professionals who came there TO MEET AND TALK TO YOU!? The answer is never. No matter how many AH&LA or CRA mixers you attend, those people did not come to meet college students. If the day you sit down to interview with a company that you hope to god will hire you upon graduation, you had better hope its not the first time you are ever meeting them.

If you are like me, then meeting professional who have VP or Director attached to their name is a very scary experience. And for the most part, the only time this ever happens is in a professional, formal setting which makes it extremely difficult to be yourself and establish a good connection. Nationals offer a platform to meet people in a very relaxed and casual setting. The networking suites offered laidback meet-and-greets to build some sort of rapport with the company representatives before interviewing with them the following day. For me, the most fun I had was hanging out downstairs at the lobby bar one night. And, no it was not because I was drinking. Kayla and I got into a rather rowdy game of Yahtzee only to be called out by our advisors for not doing homework. They were there having some wine with some Hyatt representatives and other advisors. And one other slightly important person, whom not only did I completely offend at first, I would have to say I turned it into a pretty good first impression. After the embarrassment of being caught playing Yahtzee rather than studying, I candidly asked one of the guys if he was a recent alumni or a student advisor (on my defense he looked pretty young..) Apparently he is one of the co-founders of NSMH, Michael Burkeen. After a quick recovery, Kayla, Galit, and I ended up chatting with him for over an hour. Turns out even bad mistakes can put you on good terms with some good-to-know people and this is an experience I surely will not forget.

Overall, Nationals was an amazing experience. Even the relationships I developed with people in my own major whom I had never and probably would never have gotten to know otherwise. Nationals offer a way to get your foot in the door and start building those relationships that will one day land you the job of your dreams. My only regret is that I never attended earlier in my college career. Carl can tell you as many times as he wants to get involved, but it’s pretty hard to describe what an event like Nationals feels like. Even though this year was my first to attend, I’m hoping it won’t be my last.