For 2003, HSMAI ups the offering to four individuals � two students attending university full-time and two students who are studying part-time, all working toward degrees in hospitality programs � thanks to the support of American Express. 

�Students are one of the greatest resources that we need to nurture and encourage,� states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.  �Our industry will be in their hands one day, and we must do our part to ensure that the development process is solid and that they are excited about excelling.�

Rahul Ghai hails from New Delhi, India and is a full-time student at IMHI in France, a joint program of Cornell University and ESSEC Business School.  He will graduate in June 2004 with an MBA in International Hospitality Management and is interested in working towards a leadership role in E-Marketing within the hospitality industry.

Ghai�s professional experience to date has included deputy manager at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi; sales and marketing executive at B. S. Dials in New Delhi; assistant manager of operations at The Oberoi Maidens in Delhi; and his earliest positions were as a management trainee at The Oberoi Group and an industrial trainee at Taj Bengal in Calcutta, India.  He attended the University of Delhi, India and the National Council for Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition in New Delhi. 

Joan Elizabeth Baczewski, who will graduate from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE in the spring of 2005, also receives a scholarship to assist in achieving a Bachelor of Science, Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.  At that time she would like to secure a position in the sales and marketing department of a hotel or management company. 

Her work experience has included positions with Blue Basil in Rowley, MA and the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort in Danvers, MA. She is president of the University of Delaware student club of HSMAI, as well as a recipient of CHEP Excellence in Academic Achievement Award, spring 2002.

Raquel Almira F. Reverente, who resides in Simi Valley, CA and was born in the Philippines, is a part-time student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, participating in the distance-learning program affiliated with HSMAI.  She has been awarded a scholarship towards achieving her Master of Hospitality Administration degree with a major in hospitality marketing.  Upon receiving her degree in August 2004, she would like to work in the corporate marketing department of a hotel or restaurant chain or consider opportunities in the hospitality consulting industry. 

Reverente has a variety of work experience in the Philippines, including Bistro Holdings, Inc., which is the Philippine franchise of TGI Friday�s, Italianni�s and Outback Steakhouse and where she was general manager in charge of catering; public relations assistant at the Manila Diamond Hotel as well as Media Network International; and segment producer and production assistant at Sunshine Television Ventures. 

Part-time student Sarah K. Smith, CMP, receives funds to be put towards her quest for a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality, Travel and Meeting Administration with an emphasis in Meeting Administration from Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she will graduate in December 2003.

She is a certified meeting planner with experience in site selection, budget management, travel and management.  Upon completion of her studies, Smith hopes to secure a full-time position as an association or conference meeting planner in the hospitality industry.

HSMAI issues a call for entries for student scholarships in the fall, and announces the recipients in the spring.

The HSMAI Foundation was established in 1983 to serve as the research and educational arm of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.  Its mission is to expand and enhance the educational opportunities available to hospitality sales and marketing executives and to increase the amount of in-depth research conducted on behalf of the profession.