Kassie Miller

Mission: Make an Impact, Be the

Difference

My passion for the hospitality industry was first awakened in the spring of 2009. As a high school senior I was awarded the opportunity to shadow an executive pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Central park.

One day immersed in the excitement and exceptional service of an exemplary hotel was enough to spark a life-changing decision: to enter the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program at The Pennsylvania State University the following fall.

Throughout my term at Penn State I have worked as a server at a 1950’s themed diner.

This was my first official experience working in the hospitality field.

Dr. Peter Bordi became my adviser and mentor as a first year student. He has continuously provided me with opportunities to assist in his research lab at the Center for Food Innovation.

In the spring of 2009 I performed an independent study through the CFI. I performed an analysis of Eat’nPark’s menu against those of competitors, designed and implemented surveys to aid in new product development and composed a presentation to be given to Eat’n Park’s corporate team discussing strengths, weaknesses and possibilities for improvement.

In the fall and winter of 2010 I learned the inner workings of a commercial operation thorough a rotational internship at the Penn State Bakery and Warehouse.

In the fall of 2011 I was chosen to participate in the Global Hospitality Management Program. I boarded a flight to Hong Kong and so began the most important chapter of my life, to date.

The second half of our year abroad is currently taking place in Maastricht, Netherlands. The transition has offered its fair share of much-welcomed challenges, including an internship at the Teaching Hotel Château Bethlehem.

The study abroad experience along with a two-month backpacking stint through Southeast Asia has assured me that I will most definitely pursue an international career.

With excellence in the areas of mediation, creativity, vision and leadership, I aspire to make an impact on the hospitality industry and a real difference in the world at large.

At this point I am not sure what direction I want to take my future career. For now I am open to all experiences and willing to learn with the confident stance that I can succeed at anything I set my mind to.

Thank You.