NMSU Student Receives National Hotel Scholarship

Date:  Oct. 7, 1997
Editor: D'Lyn Ford  (505) 646-6528, dlford@nmsu.edu

Michael Medina, a senior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management at New Mexico State University, is one of 12 students to receive the national scholarship awarded by the American Hotel Foundation.

Each year, the foundation selects universities to participate in the scholarship competition. The hotel and restaurant management department of each school then nominates a student to apply for the $2,000 scholarship. When NMSU was chosen this year, the department nominated Medina.

"Medina is an example of the kind of student that forms the backbone of our program," said Pat Moreo, NMSU hotel, restaurant and tourism management department head. "The fact that he was chosen as a scholarship recipient from more than 300 hotel and tourism schools in the United States is testimony to his hard work and the department's support."

Medina took four years off from school to work in the "real world," he says. He worked at the Residence Inn by Marriott in El Paso before returning to NMSU.

At first, Medina said, he thought that it was too late to go back to school, but then he realized that it was not. "It's never too late," he said.

The scholarship has been more than a financial boost to Medina. He also learned about himself, he said. "I can work hard."

Medina advises other students majoring in hotel, restaurant and tourism management to get experience and to learn from both good and bad days. "You have to be prepared to give your all 100 percent of the time," Medina said.

He hopes to get a management position with a hotel when he graduates next year.

Medina is a member of Ada Sigma Delta, the international hospitality and management honor society, and Golden Key Honor Society.