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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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The Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation Gives Out $24,000 in Scholarships
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| ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - May 24, 2008 - The first-ever Hospitality
Minnesota Education Foundation (HMEF) Scholarship Luncheon occurred Wednesday,
May 21, at Pittsburgh Blue restaurant in Maple Grove. The event was held
to give out some $24,000 in scholarship funds to students pursuing higher
education in the field of hospitality. In addition, the foundation recognized
eight Minnesota ProStart students from the two winning teams of the state
competition. Both teams represented Minnesota at the national competition
held in San Diego, one in the area of management skills and the other in
the area of culinary skills. Lastly, the luncheon recognized the ProStart
teacher of the year.
"These young people are truly inspirational. The dreams they have for future achievements in this industry uplift us all," said Dave Siegel, HMEF President and Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Restaurant, Lodging and Resort & Campground Associations, which created the foundation. "With 34 schools teaching an average of 15 students, we're graduating 500 students a year prepared. In 10 years, we'll have graduated 5,000 future leaders for our industry. That is the vision," he said. Thirteen students received scholarships toward their pursuit of higher education in the hospitality field. The Alan Bell Honorary Scholarship was awarded to: � Nikia Hedin, S.T.E.P AnokaThe American Express Restaurant Industry Development Scholarship was awarded to: � Jennifer Dinndorf, Sauk/Rapids/Rice High SchoolThe Cote Family Foundation Scholarship was awarded to � Maxwell Mraz, Culinary Institute of America.The CSM Lodging Scholarship was awarded to: � Philip Franklin. S.T.E.P. AnokaTorgerson Properties Incorporated scholarships were awarded to: � Ashley Anderson, S.T.E.P. Anoka
The winning culinary team from Hopkins High School is comprised of Scott Silverman, Corey Groshens, Nate Trombley and Robyn Pokorny. The winning management competition team at the invitational was the Sauk Rapids/Rice High School team of Tai Nugyen, Caitlin Hites, Rachel Shefvland, Liz Arnold and Sam Klatt. Both teams had the opportunity to travel to San Diego, California to participate in the National Competition April 24 to 26. At the luncheon, representatives from each team spoke. Tai, representing the Hopkins team, said teacher Mary Levinski deserves a lot of credit for helping the team make it to nationals. "She basically guided us every step of the way, so we are very grateful," he said. "I want to thank her so much." At nationals, Tai said the team was noted for being one of the nicest and most pleasant teams there. "It was good we could represent Minnesota as the friendly state," he said. Nate spoke about the experiences of the Sauk Rapids/Rice team. "We cooked our hearts out," he said. Nate said the team was recognized for its professionalism, as the members wore shirts with ties under their dress uniforms at the event. Nate said this was one of the best experiences of his life. Also at the luncheon teacher Levinski was recognized as the recipient of the Minnesota 2008 ProStart Educator Excellence Award. She was acknowledged for her passion to encourage students to strive for excellence in serving others through culinary education. Kathy Ellefson, a ProStart teacher at the Elk River High School, was also recognized for her selection by the Minnesota Association of Career and Technical Administrators for the "Outstanding Teacher" award for the entire state. About the Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation
Photos from the event are available. Contact [email protected]
for details.
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| Contact:
Faith Thoms
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| Also See: | Brad Stevens, Hotel Manager at Shooting Star Casino Hotel, Mahnomen, Elected President of the Minnesota Lodging Association / February 2008 |
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