MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University tourism and hospitality management majors Sosina Bekele and Kenady Rix were selected for the inaugural class of student ambassadors at the 2024 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism in Chattanooga.

“I was honored to be chosen. It was an amazing opportunity,” said Bekele, who was one of 10 students chosen out of seven Tennessee universities to attend the statewide convention held Sept. 25-27.

Rix, who also won a $3,000 scholarship from the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association Education Fund earlier this year, was unable to attend the conference “due to extenuating changes” in her health.

Produced by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association, or TNHTA, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the conference annually brings together representatives from the state’s travel and tourism industry.

Professors nominated the students, who were then selected by convention organizers. Bekele was a perfect candidate, said associate professor Elizabeth Whalen, program coordinator of Tourism and Hospitality Management at MTSU.

“Sosina exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding student and passionate advocate for the future of tourism and hospitality. She not only takes initiative, she is an exemplar of professionalism, perseverance, and drive,” Whalen said. “Sosina is a great representative of MTSU, the THM program, and her own individual potential.”

The Student Ambassador Program was designed to provide students with practical experience and professional networking opportunities, explained MTSU alumna Chelsa Lourie, director of workforce development for the TNHTA.

“The students got a behind-the-scenes experience of what it’s like producing the conference and gave them a chance to network and talk to people who are in the industry in a way that’s more organic than simply listening to a speaker,” said Lourie, who serves on the advisory board for the MTSU Tourism and Hospitality Management program.

In addition to helping with logistics, students attended industry-specific breakout sessions, gaining insights into the latest trends and challenges in hospitality, and were special guests at the prestigious Stars of the Industry Purple Iris Awards celebrating excellence in Tennessee hospitality. Additionally, they even had the chance to meet Commissioner Mark Ezell of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

The program proved to be a “meaningful and impactful addition” to the conference, Lourie said.

“We had a good mix of students who had different goals and brought them together. Some wanted to work in hotels and some wanted to work on cruise ships while others wanted to focus on music festivals or plan weddings,” Lourie said.

Bekele was pleased with her experience.

“I was able to attend a lot of seminars and learned a lot,” said Bekele, who is looking at a career in event planning, or destination marketing and management. “Connection is everything in this industry and it was a great opportunity to go out there and meet people.”

Lourie said the TNHTA is already making plans for next year in Kingsport.

“We hope to involve even more students and are eager to continue strengthening connections with universities across the state, especially MTSU,” Lourie said.

Applications for next year’s travel and tourism Student Ambassador Program will be sent out to universities in January and will go live in April.

The Department of Health and Human Performance Tourism and Hospitality Management major is designed to prepare students for lifelong careers in food and beverage services, hotels, resorts, entertainment venues, festivals, travel agencies and more. Learn more at http://bit.ly/46dhOP4.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu