Eco-Friendly Weddings

Being aware of the impact we have on the environment is essential in todays business world. Every industry is doing their part to decrease the impact they have by recycling, reusing, and conserving. The restaurant industry does there part by getting food from local farmers, while the hotel industry conserves energy by asking costumers to reuse towels. Those are just two examples of ways the Hospitality and Tourism industry is going green.

I never thought that the wedding industry would also need to evaluate how they impact the environment. Mireya Navarro explains how weddings have done there part to become green. The article states that there is over 2 million weddings happening each year in America. No wonder it is so important for brides to consider simple ways to make there weddings eco-friendly. Some ways the article states to make a green wedding are the following:

• daytime wedding saves electricity 
• look at venues with energy efficiency, water conservation, etc.
• recycling paper for invitations or online invites. 
• registing for charitable gifts 
• buying a used dress online or reselling your new dress
• getting a carter that buys food locally 
• having a sit down meal instead of a buffet saves on waste and requires less plates and utensils
• charitable party favors 

Although some may believe that eco-freindly practices can be expensive many of these practices actually save money and are more constructive. I think that we all need to do our part to conserve the environment especially industry professionals, because they are the leaders in the professional world. I have attached the link to the article I have mentioned to the end on this post. Check it out!

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/weddings_and_engagements/green_weddings/index.html

ServSafe Certified!

      The semester has come to an end. The realization that my junior year of college is half way over is exciting and sad all at the same time. I think this semester went by so quickly because I was taking classes that I enjoyed. One of my classes was HTM 191 Sanitation and Health. In this class we learned how to make a restaurant safe for customers, along with learning the food codes and regulations. The class was challenging and very interesting. Within the couple of weeks we had to take a national exam over all the material we had gone over in class. If we did not pass this exam then we could not continue with Hospitality and Tourism Industry courses. I studied very hard and I was able to pass with flying colors. I am proud to say I am officially ServeSafe Certified! Here's the proof:

Wish Upon A Wedding Gala

Pictured here are my fellow Purdue Event Planning Society members. I am the second from the right. 

This past Monday I had the great opportunity of volunteering for the Wish Upon A Wedding Gala in Chicago. I went with the event-planning club I'm involved with on campus, Purdue Event Planning Society. Wish Upon the Wedding gives weddings and vowel renewal to couples facing terminal illness, serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. 

The previous week the President of the Chicago Chapter Ali Philips came to Purdue to speak with our club. She told us about her job and what to expect as event planners. She was very inspirational and eye opening. As the President of the Chicago chapter and nationally the Vice president of the Wish Upon a Wedding, she also touch on the importance of philanthropy. I think that volunteering is very important. It is important to give back within the industry that gives to you. For event planners that industry involves weddings. I value giving back to the community greatly. I participate in several charities on campus and at home. 

The gala was not only a great volunteering opportunity, but it was also my first time setting up for an event. After setting up for the event the volunteers helped with the silent auction and the live auction. There was a large live band that played every song, a bar, and dinner. The event was fabulous! I realized that night why I wanted to do event planning. When I saw how much fun all the guests were having, I thought to myself I am part of the reason they are having such a great time. I helped make this night memorable for them. This is how I know I will enjoy being an event planner. I am planning on volunteering for the Wish Upon A Wedding Gala next year. 

Wish upon A Wedding Gala Chicago Website: http://wishuponawedding.org/chicago/

Getting Involved and Leadership Opportunities

Being involved on campus is very important for multiple reason. Some of those reasons include building your resume, networking, making friends, etc. I am involved within my sorority along with a couple of HTM clubs. I think volunteering is also very important.  I am currently involved in Delta Zeta Sorority, Purdue Event Planning Society, and Purdue Hospitality and Tourism Managemento Career Day Host/Hostess.

I joined my sorority mostly to make friends, but have come to realize it has given me a lot more. I have been able to be involved with in my sorority house in ways that could be beneficial to a future career in the Hospitality Industry. A few skills I have from being in a sorority is time management and team work. Within the house I apart of the Food and Beverage Committee, Programming Committee, and Founders Committee. As a part of the Food and Beverage Committee I help plan the menu for special and formal events. As a member of the Programming Committee I help plan simple and formal events such events include parents day, academic dinner, recruitment events, guest speakers, etc. By being on the founders committee I plan the founders day events and keep connections with alumni. I am in the pursuit of being the head of one or more of these committees in the next year. Along with those committees I am also very involved in local and nation philanthropies. These include raising money for the Painted Turtle Camp, Starkey Hearing Foundation, and the West Lafayette Hannah Center.

This semester is my first semester being involved with the Purdue Event Planning Society. I applied to be on the executive board and starting next semester I will be the secretary. I wanted to join a HTM club, and thought that the event planning club sounded like the most fun. I figured the club involved party planning, looking at pretty pictures of weddings, gossiping with girls, etc, so why wouldn't I want to join. Surprisingly, I have found it is much more then that. The club does help with campus party planning, but it also has a lot of great guest speakers and is an opportunity to volunteer. This semester we have; helped plan the Rotary Club Halloween Party, had Ali Phillips as a guest speaker, and volunteered at the Wish Upon a Wedding Gala in Chicago.

I have been a hostess for the Hospitality and Tourism Management Career Day for two years. By being a hostess I am able to connect better with the companies that come to our career day. My job is to help set up and escort the company for the day. I also get the opportunity to go a lunch with all the companies that only career day hosts/hostesses are invited to.

My Journey to Being an HTM Student

 I am a junior at Purdue University that is pursuing a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. I was not always a HTM student. I have tired a few different career paths in the past years.

When I was seven up to my first year of high school I wanted to go to Purdue to study veterinary science. Once I hit high school I realized I was completely terrible at science, and that it takes more then a love for animals to get you through vet school. This was the beginning of me changing potential career paths as often as you change your clothes.

My senior year of high school I did a teaching internship and an internship at my local hospital in hope of finding my path. The hospital internship involved me rotating around different departments within the hospital. Most of the departments were boring. The only fun department was surgeries, but becoming a surgeon would take a lot more biology classes then becoming a veterinarian. Next was the teaching internship. I thought the teaching internship was a lot of fun mostly because I interned with an art teacher. I love to paint and work with digital design. That is when I decided I was going to go to school to become an art teacher.

During my freshman year of college I found that I didn't like the part teaching as much as I liked the art part of being an art teacher. This was due to the fact that I didn't want to talk to kids all day long. Don't get me wrong, I love kids but I just like talking to people my own age a lot more. With this decision made I switched my major to Visual Communications and Design also known as Graphic Design. I was head over heels in love with this decision.

During the summer before my sophomore year of college, I was a full time waitress at a bar and grill in New Buffalo, MI. New Buffalo is a prime vacation town for Chicago people and I made bank! Not only was I making good money I also loved my job. I loved waitressing! (Says no one ever... except me) I loved the high intensity of the job and the opportunity to meet new people everyday. I am a very sociable and personable person so it made sense that I loved this job.

When I went back to school, I thought to myself if I graduate and become a graphic designer my interaction with people is going to be minimal. That thought is the reason I am a Hospitality and Tourism Management student today.

This is first semester in the HTM program. I know this career path is the right fit. The students and professors within this program are very similar like me. I hope that my love and background in art and design will be beneficial during my career path. I made this blog to reflect on my experiences through out my hospitality and tourism management student career.