- Visitor Industry
Gives-Back to Maui’s Future Industry Leaders –
WAILUKU, MAUI – The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association
recently awarded $4,000 in scholarships to six UH Maui College Spring Semester
students from proceeds of the annual EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION Golf Tournament
held last Fall. Four students from the Maui
Culinary Academy received $500 and two Business & Hospitality students
received $1,000 scholarships. Students
were recognized as outstanding achievers by their department coordinators.
Recipients of $1,000 representing the UH Maui College Business and
Hospitality Department are:
- Shiree
Gomes – As a Hospitality & Tourism major, Shiree has maintained a 4.0
GPA, is the secretary of UH Maui College’s Hui Ho’okipa Club and is the
student representative on UH MC’s Hospitality & Tourism Advisory
Committee. Shiree’s career goal
includes gaining experience in all aspects of hotel operations to
eventually obtain a management position.
- Shelly
Mae Silva – Born and raised on Maui, Shelly maintains a 3.69 GPA. In addition to attending school full-time,
Shelly is busy raising two daughters.
She is a member UH Maui College’s Hui Hookipa club and volunteers
with the Habitat for Humanity organization and the Four Seasons Resort’s
Day of Hope event. Her goal is to
earn her Associates in Applied Science and pursue a career as a Front
Office Manager or General Manager.
Maui Culinary Academy students receiving $500 each include:
- Raenn
Canto - Rae is a busy mother of four children and a full-time student
currently in her third semester at the Culinary Academy with a 3.77
GPA. Her goal is to obtain an
Associate in Applied Science Degree and work in the foodservice
industry.
- Kayla
Giannotto – Kayla has maintained a 4.0 GPA. She has worked in her father’s
restaurant since she was 13 years old.
Her goal is to receive a culinary and baking degree from UH MC’s
Culinary Academy; and open her own restaurant.
- Thomas
Glover – Thomas was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After working over 20 years in the
automotive engineering field he found himself out of work. He moved to Maui in 2004 and pursued his
interest in the culinary arts.
Thomas has a 4.0 GPA and his goal is to obtain his degree from the
Culinary Academy and pursue a culinary career here on Maui.
- Nahika
Stout – Nahika did many different jobs before she found her passion in the
Culinary Arts. She is a full-time
student maintaining a 3.86 GPA with plans to graduate in the fall of 2011. Following graduation, she plans on
traveling to experience and taste different cuisines to expand her palate
and gain valuable experience.
These future industry leaders were honored at the Maui No Ka Oi magazine’s Aipono Awards
ceremony in the presence of hundreds of business and restaurant industry
principals.
“It’s an honor to be able to provide for our future. These
students excel in their respective areas and have been awarded for their achievements.
We look forward to watching these stellar students turn into the next
generation of business leaders,” says Carol Reimann, MHLA Executive Director.
The 2011 EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION golf tournament will be
held on Friday, August 26. This popular event funds Maui’s Academy of
Hospitality & Tourism, a curriculum in high schools for students interested
in the visitor industry. It also provides for scholarships for UH Maui College
students in the Culinary and Business & Hospitality programs.
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PHOTO CAPTION: Maui Hotel & Lodging Association presents
scholarships to UH Maui College Students (from left to right): Clyde Sakamoto
(UHMC Chancellor), Carol Reimann (MHLA Executive Director), Raenn Canto,
Lorelle Peros (UHMC HOST Program Assistant Professor), Kayla Giannotto, Nahika
Stout, Shiree Gomes, Thomas Glover and Gregg Nelson (MHLA Board Chairman and
General Manager of the Napili Kai Beach Resort) (missing – Shelly Mae Silva)
