LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) announced 12 college students participated in the inaugural Sands Hospitality Immersion Program last month in Las Vegas. The intensive experience is designed to encourage interest in travel, tourism, and leisure by exposing students to the inner workings of the Las Vegas hospitality industry.
Sands and TMCF, the only national organization exclusively representing the Black college community, established the Sands Hospitality Immersion Program to provide students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a deep introduction to the travel, tourism and leisure industry and its wide range of professional positions, aiming to inspire them to consider one of the world’s fastest growing and largest employment fields.
The 12 students selected for the exclusive summer program are all rising junior and senior college students at TMCF member schools and were chosen from a pool of candidates who applied through TMCF and were reviewed by Sands.
“As a first-generation college student, my career has always been the light at the end of the tunnel while at Howard University,” said Jaida Robinson-Clark, a rising junior at Howard University. “My participation in the Sands Hospitality Immersion is a glimpse into a promising industry where I could pursue my interest and learn about the many opportunities that may lie ahead. Considering how many applied to attend, this excites me, and I am grateful to have been selected.”
Seminars, Tours & Even a Cooking Competition
The multi-day experience curated by the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas featured in-depth seminars, tours of integrated resorts with back-of-house access, visits to other types of hospitality venues, presentations by experts in various disciplines and interactive events such as a cooking competition with professional chefs.
“We are thrilled to partner with Sands on this tremendous immersion opportunity in Las Vegas,” said Dr. Harry Williams, President and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “Creating these unique experiences for our students is at the core of our mission. The hospitality field is one of the fastest growing in America, and this strategic partnership allows TMCF to provide our talented students with a chance to learn more about the various careers in this important industry.”
The travel, tourism and leisure industry continues to experience tremendous job growth and encompasses a wide range of professional positions. Beyond traditional hospitality tracks in hotel operations or restaurant, meetings and venue management, the industry offers career opportunities in finance, marketing, sales, human resources, information technology, legal and other professional service fields.
‘Absorbing Significant Insight’
“I want to thank Sands and Thurgood Marshall College Fund for their critical investment in building a pathway that develops and showcases the talented students who attend HBCUs,” said Brandon Smith, a rising senior at North Carolina A&T State. “As I embark on this immersion experience, I look forward to professionally fostering relationships within the industry and absorbing significant insight regarding the trajectory and landscape of the hospitality, tourism and entertainment industry internationally.”
The Sands Hospitality Immersion Program was established through the Sands Cares global community engagement program and is one of the company’s many education and workforce development initiatives, which include contributions to and partnerships with higher education institutions, funding for scholarship programs, on-property and industry-supported training opportunities for students and hospitality professionals, and mentorship and instruction from company leaders and experts.
Our goal for this program is twofold: to encourage the best and brightest students in all disciplines to consider hospitality as a career path and to ensure our industry cultivates a diverse and inclusive workforce that provides opportunities for people from all backgrounds and communities,” said Ron Reese, Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility initiatives at Sands. “This program is a foundation from which we plan to introduce other unique educational opportunities for HBCU students to experience our global destinations and gain even more perspective into the industry. We look forward to hosting this talented group of students.”
