Thursday, November 19, 2009 is the South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year/Champion Recognition Luncheon benefitting the AOHT and sponsored by Luis Aloma, GM, at the Hyatt Regency Miami at 11:30 a.m. In addition to naming the newest Tourism Professional of the Year and recognizing the Academy’s Business and Education Champions, Arthur Hertz, CEO & Chairman, Wometco Enterprises secured Roger Dow, President & CEO of the US Travel Association to be the featured keynote speaker... click here for more information
Thursday, November 19, 2009 is the South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year/Champion Recognition Luncheon benefitting the AOHT and sponsored by Luis Aloma, GM, at the Hyatt Regency Miami at 11:30 a.m. In addition to naming the newest Tourism Professional of the Year and recognizing the Academy’s Business and Education Champions, Arthur Hertz, CEO & Chairman, Wometco Enterprises secured Roger Dow, President & CEO of the US Travel Association to be the featured keynote speaker
The National Academy Foundation (NAF), a network of career academies focused on developing young adults’ personal and professional success, recently presented their 2009 Academy Honoree Awards at the Institute of Staff Development in Phoenix. NAF recognized alumni, advisory board members and leaders from academies nationwide whose success in providing worthwhile opportunities for students has inspired their colleagues and strengthened schools, communities and NAF.
Advisory Board Champions The Advisory Board Champion Award was presented to Kimberly Wilson, Area General Manager of the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay and newly elected Chairperson of Miami-Dade Academy of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT).
The winner of the Alumni Honoree Award was Samuel Gbadebo, a 1998 graduate of William Turner Technical Arts Academy of Finance (AOF) who is currently the lead teacher of the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism at American Senior High School in Hialeah.
Advisory Board Recruitment Challenge The Academy of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT) was also the winner of a drawing for a Video Production package from Pearson Foundation valued at $20,000. The board under the leadership of Board Secretary, Shelly Fano, Miami Dade College, added three new Advisory Board members and one NAF Alumnus. Accepting the grand prize at the Institute was Ann Fields, AOHT NAF Director, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Beginning February 10, 2009, Academies competed in the Advisory Board Recruitment Challenge (ABRC) which was open to all Academies. To qualify, Academies had to update their Advisory Board information on NAF's database, and then recruit a minimum of two new Advisory Board (AB) members during the Challenge period which ended on June 30th.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools have 39 NAF academies of which eight are Academies of Hospitality & Tourism and are offered through the School Choice & Parental Options.
Miami, FL – This summer, 120 National Academy Foundation (NAF) students participated in a paid summer internship program. NAF is a network of career academies within Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DPCS) and other school across that country focused on rigorous, career-themed curricula in the areas of Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Information Technology, and Engineering.
Juniors who have completed coursework in Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ NAF programs were eligible to apply for the program. This extension of the learning environment enables NAF students to see first-hand the connections between what they learned in school and the world of business. Students develop professional skills, gain self-confidence, and receive exposure to many different facets of the business world. This year, 61 businesses provided students a summer internship experience.
Employers, when asked what they liked best about the program replied: “The opportunity to give a young, aspiring person the chance to learn new things, meet professional people and show them some of what the real world is about” Nigel Whyte, Nova Southeastern University, Fischler School. Frankie Bravo, Carnival Cruise Lines adds that he appreciates “the ability to work with self-motivated individuals that take the initiative to work and learn; the intern pool looks very promising in the future.”
Students appreciate this opportunity afforded to them. Rafael Anare, a student at Coral Reef Senior High School who completed his internship at John Hancock Financial Services states “The internship opportunity is great in giving students a real life outlook on how businesses operate and it expands the knowledge about the intricate field of business.”
The NAF Internship program was established in 1987, with the opening of the first NAF Academy of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT) at Miami Springs Senior High. Presently, there are 39 NAF career academies in 24 high schools, making M-DPCS number one in the nation, offering the largest number of NAF academies in a school district. NAF students receive career-focused curriculum as well as real-world work-based learning, such as paid internships with experiences tied to a career theme.
As a part of its annual tourism and travel scholarships, the city of Miami Beach has awarded $14,000 this year to students pursuing careers in hospitality.
Miami Beach -- Miami Beach -- an international tourism hot spot -- has doled out over more than $170,000 in tourism and hospitality scholarships to Miami Beach students since the scholarships' inception in 2003.
In partnership Along with two companies involved with running the Miami Beach Convention Center, this year the city awarded nine scholarships, ranging from $1,100 to $2,300, to students who have expressed interest in the tourism or hospitality industry.
"One of the priorities for the city commission is to support education for the students of Miami Beach, and this is just another avenue for the city and their partners to do that," said Max Sklar, director of tourism and cultural development for the city of Miami Beach.
The scholarship money is provided by Global Spectrum, which operates the center, and Centerplate, which runs the concessions.
The company's contracts with the city stipulates that they will contribute to the funds.
To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be Miami Beach city residents or graduates of Miami Beach Senior High who are enrolled or plan to enroll in post-secondary education.
The scholarships must go toward tuition costs.
Miami Beach Senior High is home to an academy of hospitality and tourism that draws in most of the scholarships' applicants and recipients.
The scholarship not only provides these students with a financial platform to pursue their careers, but also serves as a long term investment in Miami Beach's booming tourism industry.
"Usually someone who starts in this field stays in the field -- they have a passion for tourism and hospitality," Sklar said.
"We would hope that they would not just go onto study, but come back to this community and serve it and make it a wonderful destination."
The 2009 scholarship recipients are Aysha Mowshumi, Maydel Almaguer, Melissa Tatta, Guiherme Cunha, Colby Goncalves, Elizabeth Galvis, Christine Archilla, Noelia Gonzalez and Katie Goncalves.
Students interested in applying for the 2010 scholarship should visit the City of Miami Beach's website, www.miamibeachfl.gov, for application details.
Launched in 1987, the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism prepares students for post-secondary education and careers through a theme-based, contextualized curriculum approach. Academic learning experiences are combined with hands-on work experience to help students develop the thinking and problem-solving skills critical to post-secondary education and career success.
The Academy provides public high school students with the requisite knowledge and skills for a successful career in one of the world's largest service industries, through a curriculum that provides an in-depth look at all aspects of tourism and hospitality, including coursework in business, geography, hospitality, and economics. The Academy of Hospitality & Tourism operates as a small learning community and is located in more than 110 high schools nationwide.
The World's Largest Industry As one of the world's largest industries, hospitality and tourism offers a wide variety of career choices to employees at every experience level. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment was at an all-time high of 12,125,000 in 2003. Moreover, the employment boom is expected to continue; occupational forecasts indicate an increase of 17.8 percent through 2012, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that total sales of U.S. tourism industries grew 11.6 percent ($20.5 billion) to $757.7 billion in the first quarter of 2004, exceeding the overall tourism sales for the industry's peak in fourth quarter 2000.
Meeting the Needs
The need for academic instruction and practical industry-related work experience to prepare young people to enter this exciting field is more critical than ever. Through their Academy experience, students gain an understanding of the connections that exist between their education and the workplace. Academy teachers and industry mentors provide students with the curriculum and guidance necessary for rewarding careers. With more than 500 travel-related companies participating as business partners, the Academy fosters the personal, analytical, technical and communications skills needed for a career path in hospitality and tourism.
Calendar of Events 
2009-08-14
The Academy provides public high school students with the requisite knowledge and skills for a successful career in one of the world's largest service industries, through a curriculum that provides an in-depth look at all aspects of tourism and hospitality, including coursework in business, geography, hospitality, and economics. The 
As one of the world's largest industries, 
Meeting the Needs