NEWH - Summer 2015 - 16

Scholarships

Well Deserved
Getting to know some of the recent NEWH scholarship recipients

Richard Wenbang Zhu,
The George Washington University
Scholarship: NEWH Hospitality
Management Scholarship

Awarded at the HI Connect Gala in
Nashville in February, this $5,000
scholarship is sponsored by HI
Connect and given to a deserving
student pursuing a hospitality
management degree.
"As an international student from
China, I am aware there are very few
scholarship opportunities provided
for international students, and the
competition is extremely fierce,"
says Zhu. "Coming to the U.S. is
the easiest part; the hard part is
everything that comes after. I am
particularly appreciative of NEWH,
the HI Connect organization, and
the judges for selecting me as a
recipient of this scholarship. I thank
you from the bottom of my heart
for your support in my education and career. I want to extend my
deepest gratitude to my parents-you are my heroes, and I could
not be here in the U.S. without your sponsor and support.
"Th is scholarship acknowledges my academic performance
and my career. [I recently completed] my internship at the
International Monetary Fund in the Secretary's Department,
and I took the CHIA exam in order to pursue my career in the
hospitality consulting field. Although the hospitality industry is
now booming with an increasing number of students committing
themselves into this promising field, it has been through ups
and downs since the economic crisis. To acquire a deeper
understanding of diversified hotels, restaurants, travel agencies,
and other hospitality-related sectors, I hope to join hospitality
consulting companies in the future to provide solutions toward
pipeline projects, hotels suffering from deficits, and other issues
affecting a wide range of hospitality facilities."

Lillian Briese, San Diego State University
Scholarship: NEWH Hospitality
Management Scholarship

Sponsored by Hospitality Media Group (HMG) and awarded
at the 2015 Boutique Design Power Players: Women Leaders in
Hospitality Breakfast and Panel at BDwest in San Diego in April,

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this new $5,000 scholarship
is sponsored by HMG. A
second $5,000 scholarship,
also sponsored by HMG, will
be awarded in New York in
November in conjunction with
BDNY.
"I am honored to have been
selected as the fi rst recipient
of the Women Leaders in
Hospitality scholarship," Briese
says. "There have been many
experiences that have had an
impact and acted as a pivoting
point in my life thus far.
"Receiving a scholarship is a
form of recognition and reward
for hard work, dedication, and
achievements as well as means
of fi nancial support. Th is scholarship also provides connections
to several amazing hospitality organizations and professionals,
and I am so grateful for Hospitality Media Group and the NEWH
organization and its staff for this opportunity.
"I have been fortunate to have received mentorship and
opportunities to expand my skills at both of my current work
positions and plan to continue with both Morgan Run Club and
Resort and Dream Dinners after graduation. My long-term goals
include moving into a full-time sales and catering position within a
resort or hotel environment and fi nding a company that I can grow
with and eventually run my own department."

Katherine Timmerman,
Florida State University
Scholarship: NEWH ICON of Industry
Honorable Mention

The honorable mention of the 2014
NEWH ICON of Industry $3,500
scholarship was awarded during
HD Expo in May at the NEWH
annual Young Entrepreneurs
Breakfast.
"It took some soul searching
before I realized what my calling
was, and fi nding my passion for
design was an exciting process,"
Timmerman says. "I am so easily
inspired by everything in my
surroundings, and I wanted to
positively inspire and impact
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NEWH - Summer 2015

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