Auburn University
The Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management Program has allowed me to flourish in my event planning skills. I am so blessed to have been able to complete my education in a brand-new building - The Tony & Libra Rane Culinary Science Center - where I could gain knowledge and experience through a combination of lectures and hands-on learning, including simulations, labs, and working in real-life settings.
My favorite part of each class day was walking past Samford Hall and into the Rane Center, where a Taylor Swift album would already be playing on the turntable at Thrive Coffee each morning. I always made sure to grab my usual—a ham and cheese croissant and an iced Vanilla Cardamom Latte with oat milk—after finishing my Diet Coke, of course. No matter how tired I was at 7:45 AM, nothing brought me more joy than this simple routine. This page features my experiences in some of my favorite and most pertinent courses. Additionally, part of my curriculum includes completing six hundred hours of work experience outside of class time and obtaining a minor in business, which will give me a competitive advantage in the industry after graduation.
My Curriculum
Here are a few of my favorite and most relevant courses from the last four years that I believe will be most beneficial in my future event planning career.
Image courtesy of Auburn Oaks Farm.
HOSP 2600
Event Operations
This course introduced me to various aspects of planning hospitality events, such as strategic planning, event design, logistics, staging, audience accommodation, activity, and food and beverage. The lab component of this class entailed twelve volunteer hours at the Samuel Ginn School of Engineering and approved events. After taking this course in the spring of 2023, I knew students would be in need of more volunteer hours due to the limited amount of opportunities relative to the number of students. I was in need of volunteers for the annual Chili Dinner fundraising event later that year, so I partnered with the fall semester class to help them fulfill their hours and staff my event! It was mutually beneficial for all parties!
HOSP 2350
Culinary Fundamentals
Culinary Fundamentals was one of the more difficult classes for me because, truthfully, I did not know the slightest thing about cooking before walking into that classroom. I am so grateful to have learned about the basic principles of food preparation and the production of small-batch recipes in the hands-on laboratory sessions. This course helped me gain confidence in my culinary skills and taught me how to do recipe costing and conversions, which have been useful tools for planning events like Chili Dinner. A substantial part of the coursework entailed creating a culinary portfolio as well. Prior to lab each week, I researched the recipes, costed the ingredients, handwrote the recipes, and converted the quantities, then reflected on my personal experiences after cooking the meal. Check out my culinary ePortfolio website down below if you'd like to read more about my work or if you need a new recipe idea!
HOSP 4510
Special Events
The Special Events course taught me about the intricacies of special events and allowed me to participate in planning, managing, and coordinating the Hospitality School Career Fair and the first annual Professional Development Event, for which I designed the invitation. To mimic working with clients, students volunteered fourteen hours to assist with the execution of events hosted by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the Horst Schulse School of Hospitality Management.
HOSP 3460
Managing Live Events in the Entertainment Industry
The Live Events course focused on the management, marketing, and operations of spectator sports, live concerts, and performing arts. I learned about many topics that will be useful in my future endeavors, such as stakeholder management, financing, and marketing. We engaged in many guest lectures, toured the Gogue Performing Arts Center, and conducted three group case studies on the Kentucky Derby, the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, and the Astroworld Festival, which can all be found under the "My Writings" tab.
Image courtesy of Sallay Turner.
HOSP 2500
Lodging Operations
The Lodging Operations lab took place in a real-life setting where I learned about different roles and responsibilities within the Hotel Management industry. I had the opportunity to work in various job positions at The Laurel Hotel and The Hotel at Auburn University, including Housekeeping, Front Office, Public Areas, and Laundry. My favorite shift was Housekeeping, where I got to experience cleaning the different rooms and elaborate residencies. This course also introduced me to one of my now good friends (pictured on the right).
HOSP 4600
Beverage Appreciation
Beverage Appreciation is arguably the hardest class I have taken at Auburn, but one of the most enjoyable! Each Friday after the lecture, we would taste two different types of wine - a red and a white - and perform a deductive tasting evaluation, which entailed three steps - sight, nose, and palate. By the end of this course, I was able to distinguish between old-world and new-world wines and determine where a wine originated based on characteristics such as acidity, texture, tannins, and sediment.
