Jun 16, 2017
Pittsford, NY - The New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA) has selected four recipients of 2017 scholarship awards from the Destinations of NYS Travel, Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary College Scholarship Fund.
The recipients were vetted from a pool of 47 students applying from colleges and universities around the state.
This year, the scholarship committee awarded $1,500 each to:
- Jennifer Martinez, Monroe Community College, studying Hospitality Management
- Linden Pohland, Rochester Institute of Technology, studying International Hospitality & Service Management
- Elizabeth Popson, Schenectady County Community College, studying Hospitality & Tourism
- Emily Gray, Rochester Institute of Technology, studying Hospitality & Tourism Management
Applicants for the scholarships must be New York State residents enrolled in a New York State-based college or university, pursuing a degree program related to travel, tourism, hospitality, or culinary arts. Each applicant submitted an essay describing their reason for choosing their career path and their goals for the future.
For 27 years, a college scholarship program was administered by Destinations of New York State (DONYS) a tourism marketing company founded in 1979 that actively markets and promotes tourism throughout New York State. In 2015, the scholarship program was transferred to NYSTIA for administration, fundraising and disbursement. To honor DONYS founders Charley Daley and the late David Thornton for their service to the tourism industry and this important program, NYSTIA re-branded it as the Destinations of NYS Travel, Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary College Scholarship Fund.
Monies for the scholarship fund are primarily raised through an auction held during NYSTIA's annual Empire State Tourism Conference. The auction features travel packages and gift items donated and bid on by professionals in the statewide tourism industry. The scholarship auction held in Lake Placid this past May raised an impressive $11,505.00 in donations.
Jill Delaney, NYSTIA President and CEO, applauds all the applicants as well as the scholarship recipients for their educational endeavors, stating, “We were very impressed not only with the number of applications, but with the overall quality of the applicants as well. It made it tough to narrow down the field and select just a small handful of recipients. We look forward to seeing what all these bright and motivated individuals have in store for themselves and the tourism industry in the coming years.â€
The application period for the 2018 Destinations of NYS Travel, Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary College Scholarship Fund will open in December 2017. For more information contact NYSTIA at info@nystia.org.
The New York State Tourism Industry Association (www.nystia.org) is a statewide membership-based organization for travel and tourism related businesses. NYSTIA is a 501c6, NYS not-for-profit Corporation engaged in the business of advocacy, leadership, marketing and professional development.
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