Andres Calvo '05

Special Events & Membership,

Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association

q: What do you do?

a: Among other things...keep track of registration for most events, prepare presentations shown at those events, and help respond to members' questions.

q: What's your favorite part of the job?

a: Seeing the end result of our events like Bacchus Bash and the Hospitality Tradeshow, after all the different steps we go through to make them happen. Bacchus Bash, Orlando's largest street party, attracts over 25,000 people. It annually raises over $100,000, which is later awarded to hospitality students in the form of grants and scholarships.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: Making sure every single detail is perfect and maintaining everything in sync.

q: Do you stay in touch with any other UCF hospitality alums?

a: Yes. Lindsey Teal '06 and Samantha Ramirez '05.

q: Outside work...you're most likely to be seen?

a: Watching a movie, at a restaurant, or hanging out with friends.

q: Your biggest accomplishment since graduating, outside your career?

a: Helping with CFHLA's collection drive for items to be sent to Haiti due to the terrible earthquake. The response we received was amazing and we were able to collect medical supplies, water, food, and clothes that were then sent through Harvest Time International.

q: How did UCF prepare you for what you do?

a: Having professors that are also current professionals in the industry provided an insight that proved to be as helpful as a book.

q: Your favorite class?

a: Lodging Operations with Peter Ricci, and all the classes I took with Duncan Dickson and Denver Severt.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: Fewer group projects. While learning how to work with others is a great tool, when you add together having a group project for every class, a job, and all the students' different schedules, it can be quite a challenge.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Walking around Disney and Universal with a video camera, preparing a project on Disney’s FastPass vs. Universal’s ExpressPass.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: So many to choose from: Beef Carpaccio at Brio, Filet Fiorentina at Carrabba's and Venezuelan food at Q'Kenan (across from the Premium Outlets).

q: On your iPod?

a: Don't have one, I use a Zune! A little bit of everything... Rock, Pop, a couple of movie and video game soundtracks, and every single Green Day album.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: When I first came to the U.S. as an international student, I didn't intend to go to college here. My original plans were to study the English language for a year and go back to Venezuela.