After commencement exercises on May 19, where Jordan Evans will earn her bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management (HTM) from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Evans will be bound for the Sunshine State where she secured an 18-month salaried position in Walt Disney’s Ventures and Expeditions in Orlando. Her new job stems from her summer 2022 internship with Disney Vacation Club. She earned her summer internship by being selected as one of 12 interns out of 1,000 applicants.
“I was nervous and anxious about my internship but I loved it,” Evans said.
“This experience has been amazing. It went by so quickly,” Evans said about her UMES experience. “I wouldn’t change it for the world. It taught me what I want out of my education and in life.”
During her time as a UMES student, the Baltimore, Md. native worked as a Hawk Mentor in the Center for Access and Academic Success and she worked as a student note taker in the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance. She was a member of Eta Sigma Delta (HTM honors society) and the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. She also served as Vice President of Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO).
“It helped to meet new people because initially, I was shy and focused on my classes and schedule.”
She credits UMES’ Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) with leading her to focus on her entrepreneurship goals. Evans, whose father is also a UMES graduate, hopes to pursue a graduate degree in business and marketing and would like to become a chief executive officer or chief financial officer of a hospitality and tourism company.
Evans recommendation for anyone considering UMES for their educational endeavors is “Try to connect with different people because you never know what those connections can bring.” She says her time at UMES taught her to “Keep moving forward, hard work will pay off and to take the leap of faith.”
Dr. Katherine Quinn and Dr. Linda Forristal, both associate professors in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, were named by Evans as individuals who were influential in her UMES experience.
“Dr. Quinn was supportive and helped ignite my passion for math,” Evans said. “She was influential in showing us how to present ourselves and in public speaking within the hospitality and tourism industry,” Evans said about Forristal.
By Tahja Cropper
