Michaela Cerce, Hospitality Student

Michaela is a Hospitality Management major who will graduate with a 4.0 GPA. Following graduation, Michaela hopes to continue her education by attending culinary school to obtain a degree in baking and pastry arts. She also helps to manage a family business in the restaurant industry in her spare time.

Michaela aspires to own her own business after finishing her education.

What would you like to do for a career upon graduation?

Upon graduation, I plan on attending culinary school to obtain a degree in baking and pastry arts. I currently manage a family business in the restaurant industry, and I would ultimately like to have my own business after completing my education.

Why did you choose the major that you chose?

I chose Hospitality Management due to the fact that it encompasses many aspects of the industry that I am interested in. In the future, I aspire to have an event planning/catering business.

What are some of your interests?

Some of my interests include traveling, baking, reading, scrap booking, and playing the piano.

What is something about you that people wouldn’t normally know about you?

Something that most people would not normally know about me is that I like to go target shooting, and I can hit a bulls eye from 100 yards away with an AR 15 rifle.

Why did you choose USF Sarasota-Manatee?

I chose USF Sarasota-Manatee for the smaller campus, relative location to my home, and for the degree that I was pursuing.

Why were you a good candidate for this award?

I believe that I was a good candidate for this award because I work extremely hard at trying to succeed in my education, and I have put a lot of time and effort into earning a 4.0 GPA. 

These courses are: 

“The guest lecture by Mrs. Linda Komornik, Director of Sales and Marketing for Great American Hotel Group, was both informative and interesting. Mrs. Komornik went over many different aspects about her time in the hospitality industry. She started out as a secretary and slowly worked her way up in the business. She was very versatile and would help out around the hotel wherever she could, whether it was front desk or housekeeping. 

Mrs. Komornik talked a lot about different marketing techniques today and just how important marketing is to hotels. She told us about a new feature on Facebook that is going to change the way the hospitality industry uses social media. This feature is called ‘Graph Search’ and it makes it easier to search things that either interests you or you are curious about. With this search if I wanted to look up the Springhill Suites Sarasota Bradenton it would not only show me their page, but also if my friends or their friends have posted anything about that hotel. This new feature can do so much for a hotel because it is much more personal to read comments about a place from people you know or are familiar with.

Along with utilizing many different social media sites such as Pinterest and Facebook, she also has a blog entitled “Don’t Sell the Steak-Sell the Sizzle-Hotel Sales Tips and Training” where she gives tips on marketing and other important factors in the industry. She showed us a glimpse of the topics that she discusses on this blog and it’s amazing how much she knows about this industry and is willing to provide that information with everyone. Mrs. Komornik went on to talk about how people in this industry must constantly keep up with new technologies and what competitors are doing. This world is persistently evolving and if you aren’t up-to-date with the latest news and innovations then you will get left behind.

Mrs. Komornik was also nice enough to bring us copies of the Springhill Suites Sarasota Bradenton weekly performance at a glance. The document depicted Occupancy, ADR and RevPar from that property in comparison to its competitors set. We looked at the weeks readings and she interpreted the data for us, explaining things such as why she thought her property had a low occupancy rate on a particular day. It was great to actually be able to look at real data and have someone explain why the figures are what they are.

Mrs. Komorniks experiences in the hospitality industry were very enlightening on how things work in this industry. She worked her way through many different positions and found what she was truly passionate about and that shows that hard work, dedication and patience will pay off in the long run. “ by Abigail Rogers, CHTL Student.

Linda Komornik with Dr. Yang’s Lodging Management Students

The day started very early for the Intro to Food Prep course students. They met at Manatee Technical Institute at 6am to begin preparing the food. Under the supervision of Chef Garry Colpitts, the students arrived to Legacy Golf Club at 1030am with all of their equipment and food.

Meanwhile the event management students reported to Legacy Golf Club at 7am to set up  registration for the 830am shotgun. The students welcomed over 70 players. Beverage and snack stations were formed throughout the course to accommodate the players. Meanwhile, students in the restaurant management course began setting up brunch under a large tent on the beautiful greens behind the Legacy Club House. By 1230pm, the tent was ready with 6 action stations. Each station featured a different menu item, ranging from fresh shucked oysters to fresh omelets.

Around 130pm, all players finished golfing and met under the tent for the spectacular brunch. Bob Harrington from ABC7 conducted the trophy ceremony and raffle drawing.

We thank the students in each of the courses for doing such a great job. They really put their hearts into producing a high quality event. We also thank Professor Askren, Chef Garry, Chef Bret and Chef Heinz for their outstanding leadership. We received over 35 raffle items and thank all of our supporters for their donations. We thank Legacy Club very much for hosting the tournament for us. A special thanks goes to Holly Lundgren and Amanda Kulaw for their great support with planning and executing the event. Last but not least, we thank all of our players and brunch attendees.  

The HospitaBull Evening & Brunch series was created in the Spring of 2011. It serves as an outlet for students to gain hands-on experience. This was the first time hospitality students planned a Golf Tournament. 

Pictures of the event can be found on our Facebook Page

USF Sarasota-Manatee IT Program to Offer New, Cutting-Edge Courses for Summer and Fall

3/28/2013

Longboat Key Club and Resort is a non-equity hybrid hotel, country club and marina all in one.

The Club Management students were greeted by Sandra Rios, Director of Membership, and treated to a continental breakfast. Longboat Key Club and Resort’s General Manager is Jeff Meyers. He addressed the class shortly after they arrived. He oversees food and beverage and front desk operations, budgeting and forecasting, golf, catering, grounds, and engineering, as well as many other aspects of the club. There are 525 employees employed at the resort/club and about 3500 members. 

The Longboat Key Club and Resort offers countless amenities including a private white-sand beach, 291 deep water slip marina, 25 clay tennis courts, 45 holes of golf, 8 distinctive restaurants and lounges, the Island House spa with more than 50 services, a fitness center with personal trainers, the Mind and Motion studio with yoga, exercise, mediation classes, an ocean-side swimming pool and Jacuzzi, sailing and boating charters, 12000 sq. feet of conference and meeting space, a year-round Kid’s Klub program, shuttle services to St. Armand’s Circle, and an in house photographer and florist.

The College of Hospitality & Technology Leadership students appreciate the warm hospitality that Longboat Key Club provided, and enjoyed learning about the club operations from their fine staff.

2012 Spring Semester: Mr. Ed Fuller, President of Marriott International 

To see the other Linda Novey-White Lecturers, please click here.