My name is Yashoda Gurung and I am a student from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM). I first heard about USG from the HTM program director who attended a career fair at my previous college, Northern Virginia Community College, where I earned my associate’s degree in Hospitality Management. USG seemed very promising and the program director was extremely kind and helpful during our talk. I was really inspired by how she wanted the students to succeed and achieve the career of their dreams. I am also an international student at USG, and as a student from a different country I wanted to feel comfortable on a diverse campus. USG has that sense of community I was looking for, and I loved how all of the universities blended together on one campus to share the culture of nine different universities.
After attending that very career fair, I went online to do a little more research on USG, and became even more drawn to the idea of earning my degree on the campus. The educational value was great and I would be able to get additional scholarships, over and above those available through UMES, which would make continuing my education much more affordable. USG also offered a small community feel that made getting involved on campus that much more welcoming and influenced my decision to become a proud member of the USG Student Council, during my time here.
My future career goals are to excel in the hospitality field, specifically in the hotel and lodging sector. I want to own and run a hotel franchise and eventually own restaurant franchises. I also want to get into property management so I can have multiple sources of income — all while operating and owning my own business and property.