I am Samuel Alexander, and I am a University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) student at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) campus. This campus was without a doubt the top of my list as main campus would require me to move to Southern Maryland. That would not have worked well for me as I work and live comfortably here and had no desire to move near or live on campus. I was introduced to USG by my former program director and professor at Montgomery College (MC).
MC has partnerships with other Maryland colleges for transfer opportunities for students. When I was informed about this, I quickly joined the one related to UMES at USG. The program called the Hawk-Line provides transfer students with the experience and tools needed to smoothly transition into the Hospitality and Tourism Management bachelor’s program. I am so appreciative of the program because I was able to be precise with the classes I needed and the deadlines I needed in order to transfer.
When I was younger, I used to want to be a chef. It was my ultimate passion, and I began to work on it from early on. As life went by and I started to learn more about the industry I realized that I wanted to pivot my focus more towards the managerial/ownership side of things. Since then I juggle yearning to be a restaurant owner or a food and beverage director. A degree in hospitality and tourism management is therefore a no brainer.
I would love to become more involved on campus, but due to the pandemic, I have not been able to. I do plan on joining at least one club when things get better. I am a lover of the outdoors and find myself venturing out on random hikes or walks constantly. A club that offers those activities as part of their team building would be in the top of my wish-list.