Kimberly Severt Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

Hospitality Students Empower Rwanda’s Women Leaders

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:36:19 +0000

Nearly 8,000 miles of land and sea separate students at �鶹ԭ��’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management from the students at the Akilah Institute for Women in Kigali, Rwanda, but that did not stop Assistant Professor Manuel Rivera’s event management class from reaching out to their Rwandan counterparts.

The event planning students will soon conclude what turned out to be a semester of service.

After receiving a visit from two of the Akilah Institute’s hospitality students, Rivera’s class felt inspired to give back.

“These women have been through tragedies; they’re survivors of genocide,” event management student Zachary Warman said. “Most of them don’t have family, but they have taken that tragedy and turned it into something beautiful.”

Rivera proposed a class project to his students with the purpose of raising funds and collecting school supplies for the institute which aims to equip women with an education that leads to meaningful careers in Rwanda’s fastest growing economic sector — tourism.

“Rwanda is definitely growing. A lot of the major hotel chains are moving into Rwanda right now,” Warman said. “These women will be the leaders of Rwandan hospitality.”

Rivera, who holds a Ph.D. in hospitality education, has conducted research on employing tourism as a catalyst for development in Latin American countries like Nicaragua and Ecuador.

“I’m very interested in things that we can do to alleviate poverty,” Rivera said. “Poverty is not just a monetary issue; it’s about focusing on the capabilities of people.”

Rivera said the fundraising initiative was an excellent opportunity for his students to get involved in a project that is both relevant to their studies and that showcases the importance of social responsibility.

“The hospitality industry goes far beyond the boundaries of Orlando,” Rivera said. “You could see that these people, just like our students, have a great entrepreneurial spirit.”

“When Dr. Rivera presented this idea to the class, we were all so drawn to it because the hospitality community is very international,” Warman said.

“We attend one of the best hospitality schools in the nation, so it’s our social responsibility to help those in need gain from the experiences we’ve been given,” he said.

The event planning students immediately went to work constructing collection bins for donors to deposit supplies into at a local grocery store and hospital.

They went from class to class informing their fellow students of the Akilah Institute’s purpose and needs.

They set up a table with displays on campus to raise awareness for their cause and sell t-shirts which they designed.

Donations included everything from textbooks to calculators, DVDs to secondhand cell phones and vast amounts of school supplies.

In less than a month, Rivera’s students raised nearly $1,600 in monetary donations and collected numerous boxes of supplies valued at $1,000.

Jordan O’Daniel is a senior majoring in event management. The 22-year-old Melbourne native assisted with the project’s marketing efforts.

O’Daniel said one of the greatest challenges her class faced was persuading people to give.

“It was hard getting people to donate to something they had never heard of, especially since it is across the world,” she said. “But eventually they came around.”

“It’s rewarding; you gain something out of it,” O’Daniel said. “You’re not just making money and doing business; it’s deep.”

Anna Cheng is double majoring in hospitality and event management. The 22-year-old was born in Hong Kong, but was raised in Venezuela.

“I understand it’s hard to give with the economy, but one dollar doesn’t hurt anyone,” she said. “It makes a big difference for them.”

Cheng, who is bilingual, said the project has inspired her to pursue other avenues of service.

She said she hopes to one day teach English and Spanish to people in India and all throughout Africa.

Event management and marketing student Jennifer Bacca helped market and promote the fundraising efforts.

The 21-year-old said she learned that raising awareness about an event is key.

“You can put on an event, but if you haven’t promoted it, you’re not going to have a great turn out,” she said. “We did our best to reach the most people and we did a great job.”

“Even though these are rough times, we all still have a little to give to people that don’t have anything,” Bacca said. “Giving is very rewarding.”

“This is the first year that I’ve taught this class,” Rivera said. “It really exceeded my expectations.”

“The efforts they put forth, the ideas that came forward and the way they executed it was remarkable,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of them.”

Source: Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 2, 2011, �鶹ԭ�� hospitality students empower Rwanda’s future women leaders, by Jason Kelly, special to the Sentinel, �鶹ԭ�� student: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/ucf/orl-rosen-akilah-fundraiser-12111,0,5876656.story?page=1.

Metropolitan Safari Brings Rwandan Women to �鶹ԭ��

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:38:36 +0000

Two students from Rwanda’s Akilah Institute for Women recently visited the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Noella Abijuru, 26, and Allen Kazarwa, 20, took part in Akilah’s “Metropolitan Safari,” a tour that encompasses 14 cities in 12 weeks for the purposes of meeting supporters and sharing personal experiences. Both young ladies were impacted by the 1994 Rwandan genocide that resulted in the murder of an estimated 1 million people in 100 days.

“Akilah” means “wisdom” in Swahili and the Institute empowers young women in East Africa to transform their lives by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to become leaders and entrepreneurs. The young women of the Akilah Institute are pursuing degrees in hospitality management, as it is the fastest growing sector of the Rwandan economy.

Elizabeth Dearborn Davis, co-founder and CEO of the Akilah Institute, hoped that her education experience could turn these survivors into community leaders and role models for the next generation. “When you teach a woman, you empower a nation,” said Davis. By 2020, Akilah plans to graduate 1,780 young women who are working and serving as leaders in their communities.

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management became connected with the Akilah Institute through Dr. Kimberly Severt. When she learned of the school, she was inspired to immediately get involved with this valuable cause. She attended Akilah’s annual fundraiser in Tampa and created an assignment that involved her students designing hospitality and guest service-themed webinars to donate to the young women attending the Akilah Institute. She explains, “I hope that we realize how fortunate and blessed we are, and I hope that Allen and Noella’s stories empower us to make a difference.”

Dr. Severt helped coordinate the recent visit by Allen, Noella and Jen DiSimone, Development Associate with the Akilah Institute. The day included a tour of Rosen College, a meet and greet with students in Dr. Manuel Rivera’s Event Management class, a tour of Disney’s Contemporary Resort and an afternoon at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

Dr. Rivera was honored to assign his students the task of event planning from a service angle. His students pitched fundraising event ideas to Allen and Noella including a technology drive, a women’s empowerment weekend seminar, a fun run at Lake Eola, a book drive and a school supply drive. Allen thanked the students for their ideas and said, “We have very much to learn from you and we hope you have a bit to learn from us.”

Noella shared with the class how she wakes up at 5 a.m. most mornings and walks 45 minutes to the bus, and then another 15 minutes from the bus to her school. After classes, she works in a restaurant until late at night, often getting only three hours of sleep. She then told the class, “Today, I’ve come to learn many things to take back to school. I am committed to studying and finishing school because life is so hard. We would like for you to give us advice to improve our skills.”

After the presentations, Dr. Rivera’s students treated Noella, Allen and Jen to a reception in the Hall of Fame lobby where they were able to interact one-on-one. Allen shared about the experience, “Your students have so much heart. I am deeply touched.”

After enjoying a traditional American lunch of chicken fingers and hamburgers at T.G.I. Friday’s, the guests journeyed to Disney and received a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The visit focused on the convention and conference industry and included guest rooms, ballrooms, The Wave Restaurant and the California Grill. The executive chef even provided Allen and Noella with their first taste of lobster.

Dr. Severt and Rosen College Coordinator of Academic Relations, Mr. Joshua Johnson, accompanied the Akilah Institute guests during the Disney portion of their visit. “It was such a joyful experience to see the excitement in the young ladies’ eyes,” shares Johnson.

Noella and Allen rode their first attractions including Pirates of Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion and It’s A Small World. They additionally enjoyed a parade, the nighttime Wishes show and fireworks. No trip to Disney would be complete without personalized mouse ears – Allen and Noella chose the princess ones.

Allen and Noella are remarkable women with an immense amount of strength and promise. They are in pursuit for a better future for their friends, family and country. Rosen College was fortunate enough to be part of their journey. For more, please visit .

About Noella and Allen

Noella is a survivor of the 1994 genocide. After Hutu neighbors killed her father, her family went into hiding for several months, safeguarded by a sympathetic Hutu. Noella and her family later returned to their community and found the path to the future was through reconciliation. Overcoming incredible adversity, she studied primary school in the Southern Province and attended Mukingi secondary school. She was honored to be selected by MTV Africa to interview President Kagame and, after receiving a scholarship from an Akilah donor, to travel to Hong Kong for an internship as part of her studies. “Since I have joined Akilah, my life has totally changed in a very positive way. I have started to have dreams for my future. In 10 years, my goal is to own and operate my own hotel.”

Allen was born in Uganda to Hutu and Tutsi parents but orphaned at an early age when her family returned to Rwanda in 1994. Allen diligently studied at FAWE Girls’ primary school and Kiziguro secondary school, where she excelled at physics, math, chemistry and history. Since enrolling at Akilah, Allen has become the secretary of her political youth group in Kigali and is one of many Akilah students employed in the emerging hospitality industry in Rwanda. “I have no siblings or parents, but I have hope for my future. I want to become an independent woman and start my own business. Akilah is giving me the skills to reach my goals.”

�鶹ԭ�� Selected to Research Exchange of Event Information

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:31:39 +0000

Dr. Kimberly Severt is the principal investigator for a Convention Industry Council (CIC) study to quantify the time and cost inefficiencies of the flow of information in the event industry.

The Rosen College Professor has been selected by the college’s Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies to research how planners and suppliers exchange event specifications. The study, funded by Gaylord Hotels, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, hopes to pinpoint solutions that increase accuracy and efficiency in the transfer of the information.

“Despite all of our technical advances, this is largely still a manual, paper, e-mail and even fax-based process, with a high level of input and rekeying. Even though they’re widely accepted, these business processes are frequently inefficient and inaccurate,” said Kimberly Meyer, founder and principal of Chicago-based Meetings Analytics and chair of the CIC’s APEX Technology Advisory Council.

After gathering data from the funding hotels, Dr. Severt will examine a variety of meeting and event types from the initial input of data through the culmination of the event.

Her findings will be released by the conclusion of the Spring 2011 semester.

The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies was established in September 1979 in the College of Business Administration of the �鶹ԭ��, through a $25,000 donation by the Orange Blossom Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. The funds for this donation were collected at an annual Roast and Toast of the Association, which honored the late Dick Pope Sr., then the owner of Cypress Gardens and the first commercial tourist entrepreneur in Florida.

The Institute’s mission is to improve the quality of the tourism product and increase the benefits of the tourism industry to the State of Florida and the local Central Florida community. For more information, please contact Robertico Croes, Ph.D., (407) 903-8028 or robertico.croes@ucf.edu.