Tawanna Frazier '08

Catering and Convention Services,

The Peabody Orlando

q: What do you do?

a: Help manage the Food and Beverage, meeting space and special requests of groups at The Peabody Orlando. This includes city-wide conventions and social events. Since our $420 million expansion nearly complete, we're attracting new kinds of groups including proms.

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

a: Working with groups for special events; for instance, the players in the Citrus Bowl and Champ Bowl stayed here.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: Juggling school and work. If all goes well, I'll graduate with a Master's in Hospitality and Tourism Management from UCF in December.

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

a: Megan Oxman '06 who works with me at The Peabody, Nate Nakamura '06, Jennifer Reynolds '09, Holly Steinebronn '07 and Jennifer Sandler Rosenthal '06.

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

a: At a UCF football game. Even when I had to study, I took my books tailgating with me.

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

a: Being elected to serve as an officer for the Rosen College chapter of the UCF Alumni Association.

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

a: The classes were exactly what I needed to be successful in my job, particularly the Event Management and Hospitality Finance courses.

q: Your favorite class?

a: Catering Management with Vivian Ray. It taught me what it takes to operate under pressure. Our class catered for the Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, a three-day outdoor event. It was like being in the Boy Scouts because we had to cook without electricity. For instance, we had planned on smoothies for part of the menu but there wasn't anywhere to hook up our machine. It taught us to be resourceful and improvise.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a:  The whole experience was perfect - maybe just a few more real-world projects like I just described.

q: A UCF memory?

a: The activities at Rosen College every Wednesday, sponsored by UCF Student Life. There would be something different every week on the Rosen campus, from making candles to Build-a-Bear.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: Crispy Spicy Beef at The Cheesecake Factory.

q: On your iPod?

a: Gospel, Pop, Rap and Rock.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I'm afraid to sleep in the dark. I have a night light.

Larry Kiang '08

Senior Sales Manager & Production Coordinator,

Sovereign Cruises

q: What do you do?

a: Sovereign Productions and Events is a full-service travel, event management, and production company that serves both religious and corporate companies. Our primary focus is meetings, conferences, and conventions; however, we can facilitate all types of events such as family or class reunions and alumni functions. Clients get an extraordinary value because we build a custom website for their events and take care of marketing and registration. In addition, we attend every event and handle all of the logistics and audio visual production.

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

a: Traveling the world on different cruises and at hotels and resorts. I love meeting new people, learning different cultures, and experiencing new adventures.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: The economy, as most companies are cutting back on their event and travel budgets. Another challenge is increased competition, from both online travel providers and other event management companies.

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

a: Absolutely. I still keep in touch with some high school friends who also graduated from Rosen like Jenny Harnish ’07 and Jordan Dowty ’07. I also see JP Philip '07, Nate Nakamura '06, Jessica Goldstein '06, Megan Oxman '06, and Shannon Cole '06 quite often. Of course Facebook has been great for keeping in touch with everyone.

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

a: Eating at one of Orlando’s fine restaurants. I’m a diehard foodie and love all types of cuisine.

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

a: Being able to spend time and devote energy to my church, Faith Baptist Orlando. Another accomplishment is being able to plan and book great vacations for my family and friends.

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

a: The Event track classes provided a great introduction to the meetings and event industry and paved a solid foundation. I enjoyed learning the industry terms and lingo and hearing first-hand experiences from professors like Premila Whitney. I also made many excellent connections while at UCF that will prove invaluable for my career.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: One recommendation is to create a Rosen online forum where students can discuss classes, trade textbooks, and have a general community.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Food Prep Class with Dr. Kevin Murphy. I loved learning how to cook, and the “Iron Chef” competition at the end was fun.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: The Prix Fixe Menu at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion, especially the Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle for dessert!

q: On your iPod?

a: Mostly Contemporary Christian like Chris Tomlin, and some Big Band/Swing like Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I’ve been granted the title of “Scholarship King” at Rosen, according to Dr. Hyung-il Jung, who manages the scholarship award process. I won 3-4 a year including the Harris and Trisha Rosen Scholarship multiple times. I'm very thankful for all of the scholarships and I sincerely appreciate the generosity of the donors, especially Mr. Rosen.

Megan Oxman '06

Catering and Convention Services,
The Peabody Orlando

q: What do you do?

a: I create customized banquet event orders and event plans for clients booking 10 or fewer rooms. I also work on special projects like this weekend's gala for Give Kids the World.

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

a: Walking in the room when the event's about to take place. It's so rewarding when the group's finally in-house, and to see that all of our hard work has paid off with an impressive final product.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: Multi-tasking during big city-wide conventions. I need to juggle multiple projects.

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

a: Tawanna Frazier '08 works at the desk next to me, and I'm in touch with lots of others including Shannon Cole '06, Jessica Goldstein '06, Erin Magrum '06, Suzy Meyer '06, Nate Nakamura '06, JP Philip '07, Jennifer Rosenthal '07, Kacie Shuba '06, Alison Tomaska '97 and Steve Ziarnik '06.

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

a: At the Mall of Millennia or the theme parks. I've been going to a different park every single week lately, including Sea World, Magic Kingdom and Universal.

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

a: Learning how to snowboard.

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

a: In the event management class, I took exactly the right classes to be successful in my job. They covered conventions, meetings and catering. Also I ended up getting my position through Rosen College.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: My friends and I at Rosen were extremely passionate about the hospitality industry. It would be a better environment if all students recruited were there because, like us, they want to soak up as much knowledge as possible about the industry - some just wanted to get a degree.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Going to Hawaii for the Professional Convention Management Association's 49th annual conference was the best experience of my life. Also I had fun making a Homecoming mini-float for the Rosen College fountain, as part of a contest for the Hospitality Association. Ours was a pineapple.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: Chicken piccata at the Cheesecake Factory.

q: On your iPod

a: I don't have one, but if I did, it would have songs by Justin Timberlake, No Doubt and Christina Aguilera.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I was born and raised in Orlando. I've never lived outside Orange and Seminole counties.

Dan Holm '08

Assistant Brand Manager,

Outback Steakhouse

Also: Blog Writer, greeneggsmarketing.com

q: What do you do?

a: I help brainstorm and execute national marketing promotions for Outback Steakhouse. This includes special offers and discounts. I've worked at Outback since 2003, first at a restaurant and then commuting back and forth to Rosen from the corporate office in Tampa. They hired me full-time after graduation. I also write a blog about restaurant marketing including new products and food trends.

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

a: At Outback, it's exciting to see ideas from conception to implementation in restaurants across the country. I like that my blog influences people to think about restaurants in a new light. You don't realize how much power you hold as a customer. Dining out is more than just a meal; it's an experience which can be positive or negative.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: At Outback, we're always looking for new ways to connect with our customers. Coming up with new interesting topics for my blog is a fun challenge.

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

a: Quite a few including Kai Armstrong '08, Ryan Bauer '07, Sandi Bednarz '08. Karla Elliott Armstrong '07, Kimberly Greth '06, Robert Heilman '07, Blair Keller '08, Nate Nakamura '06 and Amanda Smythe '08.

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

a: At Chipotle or Target.

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

a: Having a wife and child.

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

a: Dr. Chris Muller's courses were very influential. I took three of his classes: Restaurant Brand Management; Foodservice Marketing, Advertising and Promotion Management; and Hospitality Facilities, Planning and Design.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: There needs to be coursework on entrepreneurship incorporated into the curriculum. I would have liked less focus on event management and operations. Not everyone wants to run a hotel or restaurant; there are other career paths, like mine in marketing. Also I think the school needs to reposition its branding with a larger outlook than just Orlando. Outside Orlando, people aren't as familar with the Rosen name.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Helping open the brand new student housing at Rosen College. I was one of the very first resident advisors.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: The burrito bowl at Chipotle. I order it with half pork and half chicken, rice, medium salsa, corn salsa, sour cream and lots of cheese.

q: On your iPod?

a: At least 80% of the songs are by the Dave Matthews Band. I just saw him for the 14th time at the University of Virginia, and the 15th time will be in Tampa this August. In 2007, I saw him four times in one week: once in Gainesville, once in Tampa and twice in West Palm.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I can clap with one hand.

Kacie Shuba '06

Convention Housing Coordinator
Rosen Centre Hotel

q: What do you do?

a: I’m the point of contact for clients for reserving rooms and suites for conventions and meetings. I manage the group’s room inventory and work closely with the client to confirm terms including method of booking, billing, cut-off dates and upgrades. I'm responsible for receiving and updating reservation rooming lists, blocking all room upgrades and verifying VIP reservations.

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

a: I enjoy my co-workers. Also, it's always great to meet a client for the first time, putting a face to the person you’ve been working with for many months via phone and e-mail.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: When the computers run maintenance updates during the day and I need to make or change a rooming list by a certain time. I can’t do my job without my computer but I understand these updates need to be done in order for them to work.

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

a: I work directly at the Rosen Centre with Courtney Beckwith '04, Becky Crowder '04 and Karli Bennett '08. I’m still great friends with Erin Mahaffey '06 and Taryn Dorsey '07. I still keep in contact with Nate Nakamura '06 and Megan Oxman '06. I’ve known Megan since middle school and Nate since high school.

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

a: You could find me at the movies or a restaurant with my friends, family, and boyfriend. I love going to concerts and theme parks as well.

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

a: One of my main goals in life is to travel as much as possible. I went to Chicago and Phoenix in 2008.

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

a: Because of all the required group projects, I learned how to work well in a team. Rosen College also showed me many job opportunities the hospitality field has to offer.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: The college didn’t offer some of the classes that they offer today. I would have taken cruise ship management, which sounds like an interesting class.

q: A UCF memory?

a: The UCF football games at the Citrus Bowl; also, the Rosen College Hospitality Association's 2004 trip to the Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show in New York City.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: The Factory Burrito Grande at Cheesecake Factory.

q: On your iPod?

a: I have a wide variety of music on my iPod. Some of my favorite music artists are Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World, Breaking Benjamin, 311, and Jason Mraz.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I'm the first person in my entire family to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree.

Nate Nakamura '06

Front Desk,

Hilton Garden Inn Lake Mary

q: What do you do?

a: Help guests at the front desk of the Hilton Garden Inn in Lake Mary. Funny, I worked at theme parks and restaurants for all four years of college, and said I'd never work in a hotel.

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

a: I like how we are really close to the guests that we call them by their first name. We have great relationships with some of the regulars. It's also a fun staff, and small enough that we praise each other's efforts.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: Keeping myself entertained during non-peak times.

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

a: Most often: JP Philip '07, Andy Yaffee '08, Jessica Goldstein '06, Megan Oxman '06, Shannon Cole '06, Alison Tomaska '97, Blair Keller '08 and Lydia Hueneke '08.

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

a: At the theme parks or a Magic game. I have a Sea World annual pass and am a full season ticket holder of Orlando Magic tickets for the second year.

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

a: Being elected to the board of the Rosen College Chapter of the UCF Alumni Association. Also, eating a record 375 clams and mussels at the Yacht & Beach Club.

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

a: It got me out of my shell. I networked with anyone and everyone.

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: More parking! Also, once the gates were added, it became a different school - more closed-in and isolated like a private school. It had a better feel as an open campus.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Serving at the Grande Hospitality Gala. My whole first semester was an incredible experience, meeting new people and having inspiring classes with Paul Rompf, Ron Logan and Kim Severt.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: Oysters at Lee and Rick's on Old Winter Garden Road. They can't shuck them fast enough to keep up with me.

q: On your iPod?

a: I don't have one, but if I did, it would have songs by Billy Joel, Duran Duran, The Who, Def Leppard and The Police.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I hate rice.