RESORT HOTEL ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL HOSPITALITY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Colleen Steelman of Woodloch Pines (near left) and Ingrid Hernandez of LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort (far left) will each receive $2,500 as part of RHA’s 25th anniversary celebration
June 26, 2012 (Richmond, VA) – Richmond-based Resort Hotel Association (RHA) proudly announces the inaugural recipients of its RHA Scholarship Program, launched this year in honor of the non-profit association’s 25th anniversary. Colleen Steelman and Ingrid Hernandez, employed by RHA member properties Woodloch Pines in Hawley, Pa., and LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Fla., respectively, each will receive $2,500 toward their 2012 tuitions.
Steelman is a Front Desk Clerk at RHA member property Woodloch Pines, and is pursuing her degree in hospitality at the Lackawanna College Kiesendahl School of Hospitality in Hawley, Pa. She has worked for the resort for one year. Steelman is the mother of three daughters, two of whom are also currently in college. She works full-time while also raising a family and going to college herself.
“I look forward to going to work every day because of the business I am in,” says Steelman. “I like getting to know our guests and making their stay as great as possible. Hospitality comes naturally to me and I really enjoy it. I am so excited to see where this path will take me.”
John S. Kiesendahl, President and Owner of Woodloch Pines, says about Steelman: “Colleen is a very special individual who has taken tremendous initiative to diversify herself within our company, as well as educating herself in the hospitality industry. She demonstrates a high level of professionalism, and always expresses a positive attitude and willingness to take on new challenges.”
Hernandez has worked for RHA member property LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort for the past six years and currently serves as the Assistant Director of Human Resources. She is pursuing her degree in business management with a concentration in human resources at Hodges University, also in Naples. Originally from Ecuador, Hernandez is a full-time student in addition to working full-time at the resort.
“I really enjoy working in the hospitality arena, as I like guiding and helping people,” says Hernandez, who has worked in the hospitality industry for 15 years. “In hospitality almost everyone wears different ‘hats,’ making the hospitality industry very challenging, but at the same time rewarding, for an individual. You need to have the right mix of education and attitude to succeed in hospitality, and I consider myself a reliable and positive person who enjoys challenges and never gives up.”
Corrine Brao, Director of Human Resources at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, says about Hernandez: “She is a true team player who always gives more than 100 percent, and is the first person to offer assistance and to stay late in order to get the job done. She is just as dedicated with her studies as she is with her career here at LaPlaya. She is destined to have a very long and successful career in our industry.”
“On behalf of RHA, I congratulate each of our scholarship recipients for their individual contributions to the hospitality industry and wish them future success in their hospitality careers,” says Brooks W. Chase, President and CEO of the Resort Hotel Association.
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About the Resort Hotel Association
The Resort Hotel Association (RHA) is a not-for-profit insurance association that works exclusively with independently owned resorts, hotels, city clubs, and spas, to provide insurance group buying power. Created in 1987 by members of the Resort Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), RHA continues to provide the independent hospitality industry with high-quality, stable, and cost-effective insurance. For more information, visit www.rhainsure.com.
For more information about the Resort Hotel Association, please call (804) 525-2035, email info@rhainsure.com, or visit www.rhainsure.com.
Published: 2012-06-26
Category: General Announcements
