US hospitality students learn about local industry

fter falling in love with Barbados almost three decades ago, two American entrepreneurs have returned to the island to introduce their trainees to this island’s hospitality industry and the valuable lessons it offers for growing their small businesses.

Rosie Mendoza McCamery, the founder of S.O.A.R. Hospitality & Travel YLC, Inc., and Chef Aundre Blasingame, the chief operating officer (COO) of the company, recently spoke with Barbados TODAY about their programme, which teaches young Americans about the advantages of working in the hospitality industry and starting their own company from the ground up.

While taking a break from their sessions at the Golden Sands Hotel on Thursday, Chef Blasingame said that it was their experience at the same hotel back in 1997 while on an international internship, which laid the groundwork for what S.O.A.R. Hospitality & Travel YLC, Inc. has become today.

He said: “Rosie and I both had the opportunity to come and intern here when we were in high school. It was 30 years ago, [Rosie] came a couple of years later. It began our passion and love for hospitality and the travel industry. Once we were older, we always said we were going to pay it forward.”

McCamery noted that it was that experience back then which first launched the idea to help mentor other high school students from underserved communities through education in business, entrepreneurship, hospitality and travel.

“We have our Business and Entrepreneurship series where we do a high-level overview of financial literacy fundamentals and business and entrepreneurship. We teach them how to pitch, how to present themselves and how to do public speaking. Then we pivot into our more advanced deep-dive classes where they learn how to write resumes, where they learn how to actually put together a slideshow presentation. They drive more into financial literacy and management of their finances, learn more about credit and the impact of their credit and being a mindful entrepreneur and what they bring to the world,” she explained.

Blasingame noted that the approximately 50 students also got about four weeks of education in the structure of hotel, restaurants and the several levels of careers available in these sectors.

He disclosed that, while the programme began in 2013 with the intention of eventually establishing a physical school to accommodate students, the 2020 COVID pandemic forced a significant adjustment in that plan, resulting in a combination of virtual sessions as well as international training.

“The pandemic definitely taught us how to pivot because originally as a group, we wanted to open up a learning centre, a physical building, and it just happened that during the pandemic we had to put that on hold. But we did not want to stop the momentum. As a board we talked about it and Rosie was like ‘why don’t we make this pivot’. So we turned it into a virtual class and here we are four years later with 100 plus students who have come through the programme, and they get to come to Barbados to do internships.

McCamery said that the organisation was now in the early stages of possibly involving local students in the programme which has benefited well over 100 students so far in picking up necessary life skills.

She said she wanted students to feel: “empowered”.  “We want them to know that anything is possible. Then have a sense of gratitude and appreciation for life, for different cultures, and really just have that mindset of giving back and being intentional with it. That is definitely something we are always trying to instil in them – respect, discipline, dedication and determination. All of those things that make up the whole person and really helps them to succeed in life.”

During their visit to the island, the participants also interacted with students from the Princess Margaret Secondary School who are pursuing similar courses in tourism and entrepreneurship.

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb