Third time is the charm for hospitality student

Esra Erdogan /Life! Editor    

Esra Erdogan/The Beacon

Although Gipsy Velez would not share every name she has had the opportunity to network with through her experiences at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, you can tell that they are names she’s proud to be associated with.

Velez, who is a senior hospitality major with a minor in beverage management, feels lucky to be involved with an event at the level of grandeur of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

“You have the opportunity to work with the people who are in the industry, which you may not get if you weren’t involved in events like this one,” said Velez.

This year was Velez’s third festival, where she’s played a variety of roles. Her first year, Velez was involved in registration.

Often forgotten about, the students who work in registration direct the flow of traffic at events, answer guests’ questions and more. This role allows for a lot of observation, which is perfect for a festival newbie.

Her second year, she was involved in culinary. “I loved culinary. It’s a lot of work though,” said Velez.

More attuned to her interests is the role she played at this year’s festival as a student coordinator.

Student coordinators are responsible for recruitment, hiring and training for the festival.

There were 16 student coordinators overall, and each is in charge of a group of students assigned to different events throughout the festival weekend.

At the V.I.P. happy hour event on the roof of The Betsy hotel, Velez was consulting with festival representatives, monitoring the guest list and directing student volunteers.

The festival allows students of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management hands on experience that would be difficult to get otherwise during their undergraduate career.

Students are also allowed the opportunity to work with industry people, from celebrity chefs to event planners, and given a chance to demonstrate their expertise, hopefully to receive a recommendation towards a future job.

“It’s hands on. Where else can you work with industry people like we do? Some of the people I’ve worked with have offered career advice and told me they’d recommend me to other people,” said Velez.

The festival isn’t the only time of year that students are being offered volunteer positions.

Throughout the year, events like fundraisers and expositions send requests to the school of hospitality for student volunteers.

“Because so many people [hear about the University’s hospitality students] they’re constantly offering events for FIU students,” said Velez, who has had the chance to work for events like Pink Petals and Grovetoberfest.

“I love special events, so what I’d like to be doing is exactly what I’m doing now,” said Velez.

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