ESU Student Organization Earns National Recognition

When Bria Waters transferred to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania she was a criminal justice major. But a few months in, she realized it was not the field for her.

“I wanted to do something that I was really passionate about,” she said. Having worked in food service for years, Waters knew she wanted to develop her career in customer service. She changed her major to hotel, restaurant & tourism management and began to look for ways to get involved on campus within her major.

Speaking with a friend, Waters learned about the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) organization. After studying the organization, she decided to introduce a chapter to ESU’s campus.

Focusing on recruitment for the organization, developing a budget and working on a constitution, Waters had her work cut out for her. But she also had help. The vice president and co-founder of ESU’s chapter of NSMH Janese Felder, a senior majoring in communication studies and sport management, was with Waters every step of the way.

“We completed every national requirement in the fall of 2015,” Waters said. “We absolutely love this organization and everything that it has to offer, and we are so excited to be a part of it at ESU.”

Their passion and excitement was recognized at 27^th Annual National Society of Minorities Conference, where the ESU chapter received the Best New Chapter award.

“It just shows what a little bit of hard work and determination can do for you,” Waters said. “ESU is a name that will not be forgotten at NSMH.”

The conference, which was held February 4-7, was a networking opportunity for students and industry professionals. Waters and Felder attended workshops that were hosted by Hyatt, Marriott, Sodexo, Starwood, Aramark, Hilton and the Four Seasons. The workshops gave them the opportunity to network with NSMH professionals in the field. They met CEOs, general managers and recruitment managers from some of the top companies in the hospitality field.

The conference also offered on-the-spot interviews and internship opportunities. Both Waters and Felder secured internships for this summer as a result. Waters will be working as a food and beverage intern with Sodexo and Felder will be a food and beverage intern for Aramark.

Waters believes changing her major her freshman year was the best decision she has made to date.

“The best feeling is to work every day for something I am passionate about,” she said. “The members of NSMH at ESU have been a tremendous help in making our chapter the best chapter of the year—we could not have done it without them.”

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