Best of the best in hospitality receives Foundation?s most prestigious scholarship
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, awarded three scholarships via its Arthur J. Packard Memorial Scholarship Program, the Foundation?s most prominent and oldest scholarship award.
Winning first-place and a $5,000 scholarship is Catherine Blankenship, a senior at Missouri State University. Daniella Nillen, a senior at Johnson & Wales University-Denver, received $3,000 as second-place winner, and Ellisa Thompson, a junior at East Carolina University, was the third-place winner with a $2,000 scholarship.
The Arthur J. Packard Memorial Scholarship Program, which began in 1974 to honor third-generation hotelier Packard?s numerous accomplishments in the lodging industry, awards three students at AH&LEF-affiliated four-year educational institutions a total of $10,000. Each school nominates their top students to compete. Recipients are selected based on a combination of hospitality work experience, academic performance, activities, and financial need. In 2012, AH&LEF will award 343 scholarships to hospitality management students totaling $514,500.
?This year?s competition was a tough one as many qualified students were nominated,? said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/COO. ?First place winner Catherine ?Cat? Blankenship grew up in the hospitality business, helping her parents run a 12-room inn. Her submission was particularly noteworthy as maintained the highest GPA in her program at Missouri State, while working two part-time hotel jobs and serving as co-president of the student organization, Hospitality Leaders of Tomorrow. Congratulations to Cat and all of this year?s winners.?
For more information about AH&LEF scholarships and other programs, contact Michelle Poinelli, senior vice president of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3181 or [email protected] or visit www.ahlef.org.
Source: AH&LA