A child clutches a wand before stepping into Hogsmeade for the first time. Nearby, a father smiles, remembering his own first visit years earlier. Grandparents pause for a photo. Teenagers race toward their favorite coaster. Doug Akers ’07 notices all of it.

As senior vice president of operations for Universal Destinations & Experiences, the UCF hospitality management alumnus helps oversee the intricate systems that make those moments possible. But after more than 20 years in the themed entertainment industry, he’s learned that operations isn’t really about attractions, transportation or crowd flow.

It’s about protecting something surprisingly fragile: wonder.

Finding the Right Path

Akers’ love of theme parks began early. He found himself happily spending hours designing his own theme parks inside video games and paying far more attention to the operational details than anyone else his age thought necessary. While friends obsessed over bigger roller coasters and taller drop towers, he wondered where deliveries arrived, where maintenance crews parked and what made the fantasy feel believable.

“I had my own little fan website,” he says. “People think I’m obsessive, but I’d ask myself, ‘Where’s my service road? Where’s my warehouse? The park doesn’t look real. It needs the support buildings.'”

As a child, Akers helped his parents with the annual school carnival, arriving before the crowds to watch an empty schoolyard transform into something magical.

Looking back, though, the curiosity started even earlier. As a child, Akers helped his parents with the annual carnival at his elementary school, arriving before the crowds to watch vendors transform an empty schoolyard into something magical.

“I think that’s really where I got my roots,” he says, reflecting on early mornings spent watching adults solve problems, adapt to surprises and somehow make it all look effortless.

By high school, that curiosity had become impossible to ignore. He enrolled in Honors Physics after hearing about a key design project that challenged students to apply scientific principles to something they cared about. He knew immediately that he wanted to create a theme park.

ɫ����, he discovered that operations offered the same intellectual challenge that first drew him to engineering.

The project quickly grew beyond a classroom assignment.�� Along with crafting miniature toothpick landscapes and designing attractions, Akers wrote fictional press releases announcing the park’s grand opening and carefully mapped out how every element fit together. He wasn’t just building rides — he was creating an experience.

Engineering seemed like an obvious choice when Akers began college. He had always been fascinated by how systems worked and how their pieces fit together. ɫ����, he discovered that operations offered the same intellectual challenge that first drew him to engineering, while adding a dimension he hadn’t expected: human behavior.

How do thousands of moving parts and people come together so seamlessly that guests never stop to think about them? How do all those unseen details shape what people remember long after they return home?

Those questions ultimately led him to , where he discovered an academic environment that blended entertainment, finance, guest service, leadership, operations and strategic thinking.

Learning to See the Invisible

A college job at Universal Orlando Resort became something much bigger — a cauldron of knowledge, more wondrous than anything else he had known. Each new opportunity brought greater responsibility. Akers worked in transportation, attractions, food and beverage, entry operations and special events across multiple parks and international projects. By building a reputation for thoughtful leadership and a willingness to learn every corner of the business, he rose from a college employee to one of the company’s senior executives.

Along the way, he learned one lesson that has shaped his career: the most exceptional operations are often the least visible.

When every detail is executed seamlessly, guests never think about logistics, staffing or transportation. They’re focused on making memories with family and friends.

That’s when Akers realized operations were never the end goal. They were the foundations that made those meaningful experiences possible.

Wonder Doesn’t Have an Age Limit

Spend a day in the parks with Akers and one thing becomes clear: he spends as much time watching guests as he does monitoring attractions. A child experiences a beloved story for the first time. Parents revisit childhood memories. Grandparents watch a new generation imagine and dream.

For Akers, those moments are the true measure of success.

Wonder doesn’t disappear as people grow older. It simply takes on new meaning with every stage of life, creating memories and connections that span generations.

Creating and operating the spaces where those moments take place has quietly become the work of his career.

Leading Through Curiosity

Today, Akers oversees operations on a scale he never imagined as a college student. His career has taken him across the U.S. and around the world, including helping open Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Beijing.

Those experiences also help shape the future of the industry. Through the first-of-its-kind housed within UCF’s Rosen College — created in partnership with Universal Destinations & Experiences — students will learn how storytelling, technology and operations work together while designing experiences that inspire wonder, with Universal helping craft the curriculum.

ɫ����, professors and mentors challenged Akers to think differently and encouraged him to pursue opportunities he hadn’t considered. They helped him recognize that careers rarely follow a straight path and that curiosity is often a better guide than certainty.

It’s the same advice he shares with UCF students: Don’t become so attached to your original plan that you miss the opportunity in front of you. The best experiences are the ones held together by thousands of invisible details working in perfect harmony, Akers says.

Somewhere today, another child will step through Universal Orlando Resort’s gates carrying a wand almost as tall as they are. Years from now, they may return with children of their own.

Akers hopes they never think about the thousands of unseen details that made the day possible.

He hopes they remember only how they felt.

He hopes they remember the wonder.

is about more than reaching a destination. It’s about creating the conditions for bold ideas, transformative experiences and life-changing opportunities, similar to the ones that shaped Akers’ career. Join us in investing in students, strengthening our university and helping UCF continue to reach ever higher.

When Alex Williams ’09 says, “these are exciting times,” just consider where he’s been and where he believes humanity is going.

Williams recently traveled between Virgin Galactic’s headquarters in Tustin, California, and its spaceship factory in Mesa, Arizona, 350 miles from Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Today, fewer than 800 people have traveled to space. But Virgin Galactic projects that soon 750 or more people — “astronauts” — will ride its spaceships annually.

“My wheelhouse, [going] back to Disney and UCF, is designing experiences that are different, larger than ourselves.”

As the company’s senior manager of program design, Williams is among those responsible for producing a full “experience” around each pinnacle moment.

“My wheelhouse, [going] back to Disney and UCF, is designing experiences that are different, larger than ourselves,” Williams says. “Here, I get to be part of opening space as the next layer of humanity.”

While Virgin Galactic’s early flights made headlines for carrying company founder Sir Richard Branson and a few private astronauts, those brief trips had a bigger purpose.

“We believe deeply in making space accessible for all,” Williams says. “Each spaceflight brings everyone closer. The day is coming for everyday people who watched Apollo and Artemis missions with wonder. It’s coming for the person looking for perspective or the next adventure. They can be astronauts.”

Inside and Outside a Flight to Space

The official term for a flight with Virgin Galactic is “spaceflight expedition.” Passengers don’t board a rocket.

“It’s a spaceship,” Williams says.

Part of the experience, then, is knowing your way into a spacesuit and into your seat aboard the spaceship. It’s bonding with crewmates and being prepared for Mach 3 speed. Preparation is critical, but it’s designed to be much less intense than fortifying oneself for a Mount Everest expedition.

“You’re in New Mexico for less than a week,” Williams says. “We don’t want it to be physically taxing because we want you fully immersed in this monumental experience.”

The spaceflight expedition is approximately 90 minutes from boarding to landing, including several minutes of weightlessness.

“Safety is paramount, so we use an air launch system where a launch vehicle carries our spaceship to a release point of 45,000 feet,” Williams says. “Then the rocket motor kicks in, and the spaceship accelerates to Mach 3. The astronauts are sent back into their seats comfortably. When the motor shuts off, you coast to your highest point. And then the spaceship glides back to Spaceport for a graceful runway landing.”

The immersion surrounds those 90 minutes. It includes hospitality, food and beverage, and bringing astronauts and their families into the culture of the Las Cruces area.

“We test everything,” Williams says. “I’ve learned, for example, that I like hatch chiles.”

They are now part of the carefully designed experience.

Stretching His Own Mind

After four years at Virgin Galactic, Williams has explained the experience so many times that he feels as if he’s taken flight himself.

Even so, he still occasionally struggles to find the words.

“It’s indescribable,” he says.

The technology of safe spaceflight is mostly beyond his understanding, which only adds to the fascination for a kid at heart who grew up in Citrus County, just 90 minutes from Orlando’s theme parks, where he first began stretching his imagination.

“Disney had this unbridled positivity for what the future could be,” Williams says. “I wanted to be a part of something like that, helping push humanity forward, but I wasn’t sure how.”

He began to discover how at UCF, where he majored in art and says he had the freedom to “Frankenstein my educational program together.” The first day he walked into the Student Union, he happened to be walking into auditions for Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights.

“That experience became a piece to the puzzle,” he says.

A themed attraction class, where he helped design a ride, added another piece. So did operations courses through his hospitality management minor at .

He used all these lessons during his 16 years with Disney, including Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and D23.

“And then my ears perked up when I heard about the direction of Virgin Galactic,” Williams says. “I saw it like my own story — in a constant state of becoming.”

“This is a rare experience that can connect us to each other, to our planet and to possibilities to do something good.”

His mindset also parallels Virgin Galactic’s ultimate intent for spaceflight.

“It comes down to optimism,” he says. “This is a rare experience that can connect us to each other, to our planet and to possibilities to do something good. You don’t go up on our spaceship to look out at space — you go up to look back at Earth. As more people do that, we can’t begin to imagine how much good can result from those few minutes.”

The native Floridian��dreamed of working��in��one someday��and knew UCF —��located��next door to some of the world’s premiere theme parks with a solid pipeline to the industry — was her ticket to get there.

Never��mind that at the time of her enrollment to the����in 2020, a global pandemic��had quite��literally closed the doors on the industry.

Nothing could derail her from her goal.

�մǻ岹��,���ٳ����hospitality management alum is a senior technical coordinator at����in Orlando, the division of����that��designs, develops��and produces��immersive theme park attractions,��resorts��and experiences worldwide.

Making a��Bold Move

As a��junior in��high school,��Cortier got her first real glimpse of career options in hospitality when she��attended an industry-focused��summer camp that��Rosen College��hosted at��the��time.��As a senior,��she��focused her��AP��capstone project��on hydroponics in��the theme park industry. She��knew��the project��would��help her��make��connections, because��it��required��a professional mentor.

Cortier took the initiative to��reach out to��,��dean of��Rosen College, who at that time was��interim��chair��of the��college’s��Department of Foodservice and Lodging Management.

Mejia appreciated Cortier’s interest in the industry and her courage in reaching out. She invited her for a campus tour and connected her to a local hydroponics expert. Cortier’s bold plan had worked.

“It is so rare to get a cold call from a high school student who, at such��a young age, was so certain she wanted to build a career in hospitality leadership. You just do not see that kind of passion every day,” says Mejia, who continued to mentor Cortier throughout her time at UCF. “Bella continuously challenges and pushes herself past her comfort zone, which is why she is so successful and a model for the students who come after her. I am so proud of her.”

Turning the Unexpected��Into��a��Winning Situation

Cortier continued to demonstrate that dedication and initiative once she was a full-time student. She was part of a core group who attended nearly every virtual meet-and-greet with faculty and staff that the Rosen College organized.

“When the faculty and staff saw that I was showing up, and they understood the passion that I had to be there, they started inviting me to take part in different events,” says Cortier, who was invited to be a student representative on the Dean’s Advisory Council, provide college tours for industry leaders and be part of a project team to enhance the student experience post-pandemic.

Meanwhile��she also��joined the Rosen College Leadership Council, became a tour guide with��UCF��Undergraduate��Admissions��and��joined the��student��chapter of the Future Theme Park Leaders Association.��Cortier��also joined��the����as a member of��the drum line,��and��that’s��where she met her fiancé,��Erik��Solberg ’24.

Forging a Path and Finding Her Place

When her marching band responsibilities ended in fall 2020, Cortier landed her first part-time job in a local theme park, SeaWorld Orlando. She discovered her love of working in rides and attractions and parlayed that into two summer internships focused on hospitality leadership development at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and another job at Universal Orlando Resort.

“I��loved��Universal��right away, and I knew��I wanted to ultimately end up there,” Cortier says.

During her last semester of school, Cortier became an intern on the Universal Orlando Resort Operations Safety & Compliance team, and she has been with the company ever since.

In 2023, she made the move from a front-line job to a backstage role with Universal Creative after attending an internal career fair to explore opportunities.

“I always loved attractions so much,��and��I��didn’t think I’d ever want to leave,��but I made the jump to explore something new, and I’m so glad I did,” says Cortier, who��supports��the��engineering and safety��team��at��Universal��Creative, which��helps bring new��experiences��to life.

Moving Forward,��Giving Back

Cortier��still values��networking, and she has��developed��a passion for helping others find their way.��She��is��involved with��IAAPA, a global��association for the attractions industry,��and serves��on��its��North American Education Committee and��as��chair of��its��Young Professionals��Education��Task��Force.

“Rosen College gave me a foundation in hospitality, leadership, operations, teamwork and creating meaningful guest experiences.”
— Bella Cortier

“Rosen College��gave me a foundation in hospitality, leadership, operations, teamwork and creating meaningful guest experiences,” Cortier says.��“When I get calls��to come back and speak or be part of an event��at Rosen College, I always say yes.��I had people feed into me, and��that’s��my way of giving back — sharing my experience and talking to students who��are finding��their path.”

Cortier shared her story at the announcement���Ǵ����ٳ�� , a first-of-its-kind addition to the No. 1 hospitality college in the nation, backed by a $10 million investment from Universal Destinations and Experiences.

This new Pegasus Partnership��is part ɫ����’s����campaign, a bold mission for the future of the university.

“From his beginnings in the culinary service to his in-depth management experience, to his passion for UCF, he’s the perfect match.”
— Bob Holmes

Smith, who graduated with a hospitality management degree from UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, is returning to Orlando for the first time since graduating in 2004 to lead the way at the community’s life-enriching campus, expected to open its doors summer 2021 near the main campus.

Smith, a graduate of both UCF and Liberty University, brings 16 years of senior living knowledge and working experience to Legacy Pointe at UCF. Previously, Smith served as executive director at Life Care Services and Brookdale Senior Living in Bradenton, Florida, and he also held various operational roles with Virginia Baptist Homes (now LifeSpire of Virginia) based in Richmond, Virginia. He says he has always been a true caregiver at heart with a passion for providing hospitality to others.

“Josh Smith brings so much to the table at Legacy Pointe,” says Bob Holmes, Legacy Pointe board chairman. “From his beginnings in the culinary service to his in-depth management experience, to his passion for UCF, he’s the perfect match.”

Legacy Pointe at UCF is managed by Greystone and is under construction on Old Lockwood Road, Oviedo, just north of McCulloch Road and directly across from Seminole County’s Econ River Wilderness Area. Future residents will have the opportunity to live independently or assisted, in either spacious villas or apartment homes on campus. Residents will also have lifelong access to assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.

“[Smith] was one of, if not the first, student to graduate from our program and then go into the senior living industry.”
— Abraham Pizam

“It is a pleasure to welcome Josh Smith to the Greystone team. Josh has over 16 years of experience in senior living, plus brings the hospitality approach via his studies at the Rosen College, which recently launched a new degree in senior living management. Josh is a Florida native and is thrilled to be returning to the Orlando area to pay forward his senior living experiences to the source where it all began,” says R. Edward Thorne, first vice president of Greystone.

Researched and planned by thought leaders at UCF, Legacy Pointe’s physical proximity and working affiliation with the university will elevate practically every aspect of community life for its residents. As a result of partnerships with respective colleges at UCF, Legacy Pointe residents can expect:

• Access to a multigenerational campus with a UCF student ID card, given to all Legacy Pointe residents, to enjoy academic opportunities at UCF
• Lifelong learning programs that will help advance successful aging within the community
• Opportunities to enjoy UCF arts and cultural facilities and activities, sporting events and more
• Vibrant interns and students who will form meaningful relationships with residents
• Cutting-edge, resident-centered care

While serving as executive director at Legacy Pointe, Smith also plans to reap the benefits ɫ����’s proximity to Legacy Pointe, returning as a student at UCF to earn his PhD in Hospitality Management.

“Josh was always an active and good student from my recollection. He thought about the senior living industry and the opportunity to apply the culture of hospitality to that industry from the very start,” says Abraham Pizam, Linda Chapin Eminent Scholar Chair in Tourism Management at UCF, founding dean of Rosen College, and a board member at Legacy Pointe. “Back when he was an undergraduate student, a lot of Josh’s peers weren’t thinking about careers in senior living. He was one of, if not the first, student to graduate from our program and then go into the senior living industry. His passion for this kind of hospitality has always been evident. His return to UCF is really just the perfect storm.”

Legacy Pointe at UCF is expected to open its doors under Smith’s direction in 2021.

To learn more, visit .

The hospitality and tourism management online graduate program’s academic quality and affordability helped lift it to the top spot on BestColleges.Com’s top 10 list.

OnlineMasters.com, an industry-leading education research organization, also identified Rosen’s program as one of the best in the country for curriculum quality, program flexibility, affordability and graduate outcome. The ranking was derived from data comprised from interviews and surveys from current students and alumni.

“The rankings are reflections of the strategic direction the college is taking in not only meeting the students’ needs but also the high expectations from the industry. We are breaking the iron triangle of quality, access and cost in higher education by offering blended learning opportunities and best value for the students demonstrated by our master’s program,” Rosen College Dean Youcheng Wang said. “We are also redefining hospitality education by extending beyond the traditional domain of the hospitality industry and creating great opportunities for students in other related areas such as our entertainment management program. My thanks to our faculty and staff for their dedication and commitment to making Rosen College of Hospitality Management the best of its kind in the world.”

“The rankings are reflections of the strategic direction the college is taking in not only meeting the students’ needs but also the high expectations from the industry.”

“This recognition of excellence reflects the considerable investment of time of many faculty who over the past four years have continuously developed and delivered high-quality, innovative online material for our expanding number of graduate students,” said Alan Fyall, graduate programs director and interim chair for the Tourism, Events/Entertainment and Attractions department. “With the addition of many new elective courses that reflect the changing hospitality and tourism landscape, innovative dual degree programs with international partners, and the launch of new online graduate certificate programs, the future of the program is promising at a time when many conventional programs are losing ground nationwide.”

Rosen College’s Gregory Elias entertainment management undergraduate program, just two years old, is also ranked among the top programs in the country by CollegeChoice.com and Best College Reviews. CollegeChoice.com ranked the entertainment management degree program No. 4 while Best College��Reviews ranked the degree program No. 6, citing internships and hands-on experience as assets for the students. The location in Central Florida, in the heart of hospitality and entertainment, also was a plus.

Overall, Rosen College of Hospitality Management continually ranks among the top five hospitality and tourism management colleges and universities in the world out of 1,000 schools that are assessed by CEOWorld magazine. The college is one of the 13 colleges that comprise the ɫ����, located in Orlando, Florida.

About the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

The UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, located in Orlando, offers students an unrivaled opportunity to learn and work in the heart of hospitality. Ranked No. 2 among hospitality management programs worldwide, Rosen College has been an educational leader for over 30 years. Uniquely positioned in America’s top tourism destination, we educate the next generation of industry leaders through internationally-recognized faculty, innovative academic programs, cutting-edge research and strong industry and community partnerships. To learn more, visit hospitality.ucf.edu.

HFT 4866C – Exploring Wines of the World

Description

Discover how to use your senses to taste and evaluate wines, while learning about the growing, processing, and production of grape varieties used in making wine.

When is it offered?
Fall, spring and summer semesters.

How many students are in a class?
50 max

Prerequisites
HFT 1000��— Introduction to the Hospitality and Tourism Industry (may be waived with instructor consent)

Minimum age of 21 by first day of class

$70 lab fee

Instructor

Robin Back, David Black or Frank Juge

From the Professor

Why offer an entire class dedicated to wine?

I grew up in a wine-producing family in South Africa. My family has been making wine for four generations. I grew up with wine in my blood, both literally and figuratively. I used to do a lot of wine trainings and seminars, and for a time I taught wine schools at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival. I really enjoyed the educational side of my work, and I saw teaching wine courses as a huge opportunity. It really can be a useful life skill.

What’s very gratifying to me is that I usually start each semester with 50 wine novices sitting in front of me and by the end of semester, I have 50 wine geeks who can pick up a glass of wine and taste it and evaluate it using the correct terminology to describe it. A number of them go on to take the first level of the Court of Master Sommeliers (wine expert and qualified taster) exam. This course prepares them very well for that.

What should students expect to learn?

The curriculum is meant to teach students about how wine is made, where it’s made and what makes one bottle of wine taste different to another based on where it’s grown, which grape varieties are used and the wine-making technique. They also learn how to successfully pair wine with food and what happens when you get those pairings wrong.

I asked a business student once, why are you taking this course? And he said, “I’m taking this because I intend to be very successful in business. If I’m going to be successful, I’m going to have to entertain clients, probably at high-end restaurants. I want to be able to sit down, pick up a wine list, read it intelligently, understand what I’m reading and know which wines to order to go with the food that my guests are ordering because I think that’s going to impress people.” I thought this was a really great answer.

��

What makes a good wine?

That’s the first question I ask my students at the start of every semester. I always get blank stares before I tell them, “The answer is very easy: if you like it, it’s a good wine. If you don’t like it, it’s not.”

I always use food as an analogy. We may go to the restaurant and order the same dish. I love it; you hate it. It’s the same dish, the same ingredients, but there may be ingredients in there that one of us likes and the other doesn’t. It doesn’t make it good or bad — it’s just about different tastes.

What makes each wine region special?

It’s what we call “terroir” in wine speak, which is a French term but there is no English equivalent. It basically means the “somewhere-ness” of a particular vineyard site. What do I mean by somewhere-ness? It’s the type of soil, the amount of sunshine that it gets, the slope of the land, any shadows from mountains, the amount of rainfall, the amount of wind — all of these factors come together to make every growing site unique.

Red wine should be stored at room temperature, right?

All wine should be stored at around 55 degrees. For drinking purposes, we want our white wines at around 45 degrees and our red wines at around 65. We don’t want them ice cold, as if they’re in a refrigerator. I have this battle at restaurants in Florida all the time where I order red wine and it’s warm. I ask for an ice bucket and they look at me like, don’t you know that you don’t chill red wine? Yes, but room temperature doesn’t mean that it should be warm.

Cork or screw cap — Is one top better than the other?

It really depends on the wine.

New Zealand was the first country to start using screw caps for quality wines that are not usually aged. It’s not just any old screw cap, like you would find on a bottle of Coca Cola. It’s a screw cap specially developed for wine with a little rubber seal that works to keep the wine fresh. Most wines these days are not meant to be aged for 10, 20, 30 years. We’re often going to go to the grocery store to buy a bottle of relatively inexpensive wine to have with dinner tonight. The screw cap is going to give you the taste that the winemaker intended.

On the other side of the coin, you do have wines that you want to age for a while. One of the problems with the screw cap is it can act almost like a time capsule. The wine doesn’t develop as quickly as you may like it to develop. A cork will allow microscopic amounts of air in and allow the wine to develop and age. I believe cork is still the best and most appropriate closure for wines that you want to develop in the bottle, although there will be those who disagree with me on this.

What I thoroughly dislike are those plastic “corks” that you sometimes get on inexpensive wines. Plastic doesn’t expand and contract at the same rate as glass and cork does. You often end up with an oxidized wine because as the bottle expands, the plastic closure doesn’t. It lets air in, and you have a spoiled wine.

What is the proper drinking technique?

When you taste wine, you never fill the glass because you want to be able to swirl it to get some air into the wine to release the aromas.You want a large enough glass that a normal size pour is only going fill a quarter to a third of the glass to enable you to swirl it without spilling it.

You want the opening to be large enough that when you take a sip, you’re sticking your nose into the glass so you can smell it because most of what we taste is linked to our sense of smell. You should hold it by the stem so you don’t warm up the wine with your hand, unless you want to heat it up, such as in the case of a red wine that is too cold.

Go-to bottle of wine?

Although I don’t have a favorite wine, if I was stuck on a desert island and I could only take one wine with me, it would be a Pinot Noir. In all probability, one from either Burgundy in France or Oregon, which are the two parts of the world where they make my favorite Pinot Noirs. Why Pinot Noir? It’s delicious. It has complexity. It has a lot of flavor. But it’s also a fairly light-bodied red wine. It’s going to go with your richer dishes and your lighter dishes. It’s very versatile.

What sets UCF’s courses apart from other colleges?

We teach our students about hospitality in a hospitality environment. When you arrive on the Rosen campus, it doesn’t feel like you’re at a college. It feels like you’re at a resort, and that’s intentional.

The size and scale allow us to have a much broader offering of courses. We’re so fortunate to have this amazing beverage lab. Most colleges would just use a classroom of some kind, but this room is dedicated to our beverage courses. We have a climate-controlled wine cellar. We have a walk-in refrigerator and storage for our spirits. We have a dishwasher and use real, proper-size wine glasses rather than plastic in order to give our students the best experience possible.

From the Student Perspective

-Pretima Persaud, senior

Why did you enroll in this course?

Right now, I work at a hotel. They have a lot of events, whether it’s corporate or weddings or family events, and they do a lot with food and beverage. You need to know what’s going on with the menu because food and wine is the biggest part of your event. I’m also taking the Fine Spirits Management course this semester. That way, when I’m speaking to clients, they know I have knowledge of the subject.

Most challenging part of the class?

The tasting part is iffy. You smell it first, and he asks your opinion. I’ve never really had wine or tasted it or smelled it before, so to me, everything smells the same, tastes the same. I can’t distinguish just quite yet. We’ve just done white wines so far. Maybe when we start red wines I’ll be able to tell a bit more.

What’s been the most useful lesson so far?

We’ve already worked on how to open a bottle professionally at a restaurant. I was a hot mess. Before we attempted, we watched videos and he also demonstrated for us — it made it look so easy. But when you’re doing it yourself, you have to hold the bottle up, which is a little heavy, and then getting the cork out is a situation. You have to really practice to get it in a real setting like a restaurant when you’re in front of people and it’s more nerve-racking.

Part of the class you enjoy the most?

I like that we get the tasting, rather than just reading our text book and coming to class and listening to the lecture. We get real-life experience. And it’s not just local wines. It’s wines from around the world. It’s a great opportunity to get a well-rounded education.

��

Registration for HFT 4866C – Exploring Wines of the World is closed for Fall 2018 semester, but four sessions of the course are expected to be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Spring 2019.

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His desire to “protect and provide the magic experience to future generations” sounds fitting given his military service. Hiltibidal joined the military to protect fellow Americans and their freedoms, but in the next phase of his life, he wants to help keep the magic alive here at home.

Upon entering the U.S. Army in 1999, he was stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry paratrooper. It was pre-9/11 America and he spent the majority of his time in training, traveling to other U.S. locations and abroad, including Germany, Bulgaria, Denmark, The Netherlands and South Korea. After 9/11, Hiltibidal was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and life alternated between 12 to 16 months of training and 12 to 18 months in Afghanistan or Iraq. More than two million Americans have served in these countries and like Hiltibidal, these veterans view the world much differently than others.

“Needless to say, it gave me a very different perspective of the world from the average student,” said Hiltibidal. “I firmly believe all students could benefit from seeing the disadvantaged conditions that the majority of the world has to live in, in order to more greatly appreciate the things we have as Americans.”

After leaving the military, Hiltibidal’s childhood dream of living in Florida finally came true. Through Homes on the Homefront, an Operation Homefront program that awards donated homes to deserving military families around the country, he and his wife moved to Kissimmee in February 2013.

After retiring from the Army, Hiltibidal decided to focus on another passion. His love for Disney led him to UCF’s engineering program, but he encountered some difficulties due to a head injury he received in Afghanistan.

“I had an issue with transposing both numbers and signs,” he said. “So I sat down and looked at my military experience, decided that I should pursue a career in management and combined that with my love of Disney to arrive here [at Rosen College].”

After completing his hospitality management degree in Spring 2016, Hiltibidal hopes to one day become a high-level manager or executive at the Walt Disney World Resort and be part of its legendary magic. Although military service equipped him with valuable skills like interpersonal communication, planning, operation, cost reduction and professionalism, he believes the most valuable skill he learned was discipline. His advice to fellow students—master it.

“The best advice I can give to anyone is work continuously on mastering self-discipline,” he said. “Specifically, be on time (or 10 minutes early), follow directions, maintain a professional demeanor, practice humility. Know what you need to do and then force yourself to do it without excuse.”

Can you describe your career journey since graduating from UCF’s Rosen College?

I graduated with my Master of Science in Hospitality Management in May 2013. It was a great accomplishment for me coming directly from Europe to study and work in the capital of hospitality in Orlando. After working at Disney as a guest service manager, I ��gained some great operations management experience. I then had the opportunity to continue my leadership journey at Universal Orlando as an attractions supervisor. After I graduated, I was selected to be part of the leadership group for Halloween Horror Nights.

Eventually, I decided to move back to Europe to continue my career and bring home the great lessons I learned in the states. I was offered some interesting industry roles in Europe and decided to accept a position for the opening of a brand new park, . Today, I’m a guest service and attractions executive, opening a new park, inspiring, recruiting and training new staff members and creating a theme park culture. I’m involved in writing the attractions’ procedures for the very first time, designing tools, evacuation routes, standards of service, etc. It’s a great challenge, but also a great honor.

How did your experience at Rosen College prepare you for the industry and your current role?

I have always been a great theme park enthusiast ever since I can remember. I studied at the best business school in Italy, but there weren’t any classes to develop leadership skills in the theme park industry. The ��first time I came to Orlando was as a Disney International College Program participant working at Animal Kingdom. I then moved back to Europe to continue my career at Disneyland Paris and obtained the Hospitality Management Certificate from Rosen College while studying at Disney University. I was later accepted into Rosen College’s Master of Science in Hospitality Management degree program. I also served as a guest service manager in Future World Epcot operations thanks to an internship program at Rosen College.

I was blessed to have great professors from the industry supporting my development, believing in me as an international participant and giving me the knowledge, strength and hope to pursue my goals while realizing my childhood dream. As an international student and woman, my experiences at UCF and in the United States exposed me to a culture of women in business. It may be typical for an American student; however, it’s not where I come from. I will always remember the women I met in leadership positions in our industry and I will try to inspire other young women here in Italy to ask for more, to study, to be their selves in a world where there are not as many women in leadership positions.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve been able to do so far in your career?

Opening a brand new park! I had assisted the operations team in opening the Test Track area in Epcot and the new expansion of Krusty Land at Universal Orlando, but I never had the opportunity to open a brand new theme park like Cinecittà World. We recently opened the park and it was so emotional seeing the staff members welcoming and loading our guests. I felt honored to be part of that moment, going to work and remembering where it all started: my Rosen College education and my American dream.

What was your favorite part about attending Rosen College?

My favorite part about attending Rosen College was to be in the global tourism center learning from professors from all around the world and studying with students from many interesting industry backgrounds. Career Services was also an incredible tool. Without the help of Rosen College’s professional advisors, I wouldn’t be the leader I am today; I wouldn’t have found my path or have been able to identify and work on my weaknesses. They helped me focus on being a positive example in the industry and working with passion and dedication. My professors taught me what professionalism is and today, they are my mentors and examples in my everyday life. During my morning briefings to my team members, I often mention my days at Rosen College and I hope that many international participants will have the same chance to study at UCF.

Do you think your degree gives you a competitive advantage compared to your peers? How so?

My degree prepared me with an in-depth knowledge of our industry. It also gave me the capacity to think strategically and analyze figures rather than think about new ideas without structure. I enjoyed the practical classes like Hotel Management and Food & Beverage Management, as well as Finance in the Hospitality Industry and Research Methods. Without this structure, I would not be competitive in a world of decisions. Decisions must always be supported by numbers and quantified. This is the best knowledge I brought home with me, in addition to the importance of teamwork.

What advice would you give to current and potential Rosen College students?

Serve as much as you can. During your university experience, apply for as many frontline jobs as you can and then use your hospitality experience in your research and studies at Rosen College. Many professors can help you link your everyday work experience to your studies. These teachings are the best competitive advantage you will have. Our industry needs prepared professionals and professionalism starts with service. Take advantage of being in the heart of the hospitality industry and find as many occasions to experience small things like open a ride early in the morning, complete a checklist, explain a map to a guest or smile as you say goodbye to every single guest at the end of the day. These things, together with your degree from Rosen College, will make you a leader.

What’s your favorite quote?

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

– Mother Teresa

“As a leader in hospitality management, we’re thrilled to partner with UCF’s Rosen College to create this unique program that will engage our local residents and businesses in showing visitors to our area just how special it is,” said Elliott Falcione, executive director, BACVB. “What better way to tell our story than by those who are living it?”

The Certified Destination Ambassador Program was tailored to reflect the specifics of visitation to the Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area. The BACVB worked closely with the research arm ɫ����’s Rosen College to develop the professional development program, which was designed to have academic integrity. The resulting Certified Destination Ambassador Program encourages members of the community to have a working knowledge of the area in regards to visitation.

“Our mission is to support the tourism industry throughout Central Florida,” said Dr. Robertico Croes, director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at UCF’s Rosen College. “Through this partnership, we will provide training programs and research support to the BACVB, which will ultimately help strengthen the area’s tourism industry.”

Steps to becoming a Certified Destination Ambassador include attending BACVB Ambassador Summits, offering suggestions and recruiting other Ambassadors within industries, and creating personal plans to influence return visitation to the area.

In addition, the Ambassadors are asked to support the BACVB and the Ambassador Program by using social media to promote the area, displaying the Ambassador identification at business locations and actively represent the area as a member of their local industry associations. The Certified Destination Ambassador program is an earned, permanent designation and can be viewed as a part of each Ambassador’s professional credentials.

For more information regarding the application process, please visit .

The Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area is located on Florida’s gulf coast between St. Petersburg and Sarasota.��The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes tourism to Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area and the rest of Manatee County, including Palmetto, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Cortez, Ellenton, Myakka City, Ft. Hamer, Lakewood Ranch and Parrish, through domestic and international advertising, public relations and marketing efforts. For more information on the Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area, please visit .

Since 1979, the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies has been conducting proprietary and public domain research, promulgating information to the public at large about the contributions of the hospitality and tourism industry, especially along economic, sociological, environmental, and quality-of-life dimensions, and carrying out credit and non-credit educational activities. Research has been conducted in countries, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, China, Aruba, Ecuador, South Africa and South Korea for destination management organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, hotels, hospitals, vacation homes, restaurants, theme parks and more.

“As a student, I was empowered��to make decisions as a��general manager of a real-life hotel,” said senior hospitality management major, John Posada. “I learned how to forecast different segments of my hotel on a daily, monthly and yearly forecast,��with regard to the��kitchen, restaurant, front office, bar, administration, cleaning, and housekeeping departments. It was an exceptional opportunity because I learned how to operate a resort in real time,��just as a��general manager would.” Posada scored 9.59 out of 10 on the dynamic performance management index to place first in the awards competition.

Through a cloud-based environment, the innovative Performance Management Intelligence (PMI)��suite, created by global technology company d2o, allowed students to receive real data from the actual Britannia Hotel in Norway. Students used this data to manage their own virtual hotel property, including staffing and scheduling, food purchasing, daily occupancy, departmental revenue forecasting, stock level control, and more.

“This technology affords our students the unique opportunity to experience the same real-world business issues that general managers face,” said Dr. Abraham Pizam, dean ɫ����’s Rosen College. “This state-of-the-art technology not only helps teach, but also reinforces the culture of collaboration and proactive revenue management skills in a fun, practical, and engaging manner.”

To enhance the learning experience and gauge their grasp of the material, the college created a student competition to see who had the most successful hotel at the end of the three-week course. For winning the competition, d2o will host Posada on a trip to Norway to tour the actual Britannia Hotel, the hotel that students virtually managed during the competition.

“Conventional cost control and isolated revenue management practice is no longer enough to optimize the bottom-line meaningfully,” said Young Nguyen, President and CEO of d2o. “Owners and operators have to manage resources just as proactively as they manage rates and distribution.�� Our next generation of hotel general managers will manage through communication and collaboration, avoiding cost overruns and poor guest service.”

UCF’s Rosen College is the first academic institution in the United States to use d2o’s revolutionary technology in the classroom.

d2o is the leading provider of real-time performance management solutions for the hospitality industry. Its proprietary Performance Management Intelligence (PMI) Series is an integrated suite of performance navigation solutions that guide hotels and resorts to discover untapped profit by dynamically managing resources and eliminating waste. PMI empowers operations to collaborate, share information and manage future outcomes. The result is the lowest possible F&B and labor costs, reduced waste and higher profit. PMI solution functionality includes robust enterprise and department-level budgeting and forecasting, as well as food cost control, employee scheduling and labor productivity management. Founded in Norway in 2000, d2o has offices in Europe and the United States serving its expanding global customer base of over 400 leading hotel chains, independents, and management companies. For more information, go to .