NEWH - Winter 2019 - 36

SCHOLARSHIPS

Celebrating the Hospitality Industry's Up-andComing Talent
NEWH BrandED in the name of Hilton $7,500 scholarship
Courtney Barnes
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Harrah College of Hospitality
Hotel Administration
NEWH BrandED scholarships are awarded to deserving students with
exceptional backgrounds and academics who are pursuing careers in
hospitality management.
Originally from a small, tight-knit community in Long Island, New York,
Courtney Barnes started her college career at 16 years old. Always interested in hospitality, but without
a program to pursue during her undergraduate studies, Barnes took it upon herself to get a job at her
college's on-campus hotel and conference center. During her graduate studies at UNLV, she has worked
as a customer relations representative at the MGM Grand. "Before starting grad school I was dead set on
becoming a hotel operations manager," she says. "When I really started learning more about the hospitality
industry in my graduate courses, I was exposed to hundreds of professions in the industry that I had never
considered." Barnes now hopes to work in a benchmarking capacity for hotel industry analytics, then move
into a director of guest experience position, and eventually end up as a hotel executive.
"When I got the news from NEWH, I had the best day ever," she adds. "It felt like everything just fell perfectly
into place. After being exposed to the NEWH women leaders, I felt a sense of belonging and it really inspired
me to strive in my career in the hospitality industry."
NEWH thanks the Lodging Conference for the opportunity to present the NEWH BrandED in the name of
Hilton scholarship to Barnes during the 2019 Lodging Conference in Phoenix!

NEWH Fabric Innovations $10,000 Legacy
scholarship
Daniel Vater
Cornell University SC Johnson School of Hotel Administration
Hospitality Management
Since 2013, Deborah Herman, president and CEO of Fabric Innovations,
has sponsored the $10,000 Fabric Innovations Legacy scholarship for
hospitality management and interior design students.
"This scholarship is perhaps one of the most consequential honors of my
life," says Daniel Vater, who also received the NEWH New York chapter
scholarship in 2018. "When entering into the master's program at Cornell,
I had fallen short of funds to pay my tuition. On the very same day that I had a meeting with my advisors
to defer my enrollment for one year to give me an opportunity to figure out a financial solution, I left the
meeting and got into my car. I received a message while in that meeting to inform me that I had received
this award. This scholarship has changed the course of my life. Without this award I would not have been
able to continue my education. I am incredibly honored, humbled, and excited beyond belief to be a part
of this unique and innovative group of recipients of the Legacy Award. I am so excited to be a part of this
family and I cannot wait for all the amazing doors this scholarship will open for me when I complete my
masters."
Vater will be honored during the 2019 Hospitality Design Platinum Circle Awards Gala in New York.

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NEWH - Winter 2019

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