Senior Kajal Ghising’s passion for the hospitality industry has taken her around the world.
Ghising left her native Nepal more than a year head to the United States to pursue her dream in the field, before enrolling in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) bachelor’s degree program, operated through The Universities at Shady Grove.
But Ghising, a first-generation college student who is slated to graduate in December, struggled to pay for her schooling. While looking for financial aid opportunities, she found the Destinations International HBCU Scholarship, which helps underrepresented students seeking degrees in hospitality and tourism management.
“It was a big opportunity, one I didn’t think I would get,” Ghising said. “But winning this scholarship allows me to continue chasing my dreams.”
Ghising and fellow UMES rising senior Ly Bao Tran Phan were named recipients of the award, each receiving $8,000 in financial aid from the organization. They are the first UMES students to receive the scholarship.
“I’ve known about Destinations International from my experience in the tourism industry and this scholarship was really focused on HBCUs,” said Dr. Erinn Tucker-Oluwole, chair of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UMES. “They wanted to help students at HBCUs studying hospitality and tourism management to be able to continue their education with a little bit more ease.”
Tucker-Oluwole said Ghising and Phan “made an impression” on the scholarship selection committee, showing the quality of students in UMES’s HTM program.
“I think it’s their willingness to be open to learning about different sectors,” Tucker-Oluwole said. “I think our students are really poised from a professional development perspective and how they carry themselves.”
For Phan, of Laurel, Maryland, who is also studying Hospitality and Tourism Management through The Universities at Shady Grove, the hospitality industry has just about become the family business.
“My dad worked in a hotel environment and he inspired me every day,” she said. “I also like traveling and have always wanted to see as many countries as I can to and be able to explore the various cultures.”
Once she receives her degree, Phan said she wants to work in sales and marketing, with the goal of rising to management.
Ghising, who has been focused on hospitality management since middle school, plans to continue her schooling before becoming an entrepreneur.
“My aim was to always get my master’s degree in hospitality and to become a general manager or owner of my own restaurant or bed and breakfast,” she said.
