<p>Considering the breadth of our industry, please describe what work and non-work experiences, academic interests, and career goals influenced your decision to study hospitality management. How will these contribute to your success at the School of Hotel Administration?</p>
<p>I believe that passion isn’t something that one simply stumbles across, but a product of years of searching and inspirational figures . My father acted as my figure of inspiration, opening doors to an undiscovered territory. His seemingly inconsequential actions; showing me travel magazines, flipping through shows that featured the top hotels of the world and planning holiday trips would become an important part of my life. Choosing a major prompted me to think deeper: what is Hotel Administration? How and why has this industry been involved in my life and why exactly would I consider it my “passion”? When stressed over upcoming exams, I instinctively reached out to shelves stacked with hundreds of travel magazines, hotel guide books and restaurants leaflets, knowing that, like a computer on battery saving mode, I will be recharged instantly. </p>
<p>Having lived in three different countries, I am more than fortunate to have stayed in various hotels and resorts. With a habit that cannot possibly be altered, I have the tendency to analyze things from the very surface to the bottom: a painting, a sculpture, a person or a house, the more complex the better and not to mention, a hotel or a resort that’s waiting for me! Upon entering the hotel lobby, like how the old saying goes, “I spy with my little eyes”. I begin my “inspection”: from how I think a lobby receptionist should treat his or her customers to the coffee it serves or from the textures of the bed sheets to the equipments the bartender uses to open up a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Like a hotel manager, I indulge myself in such self-assigned “responsibility”. The more hotels I have stayed at, the more I realize that my habit arose from my multicultural background. Having a multicultural background often means staying in various places for a short period of time and to “recognize” a house that I’d only be staying for a few months is definitely not an easy task. So, I came up with my own definition of a ‘home’ — familiarity, comfort, safety and privacy. “Home” is a state of mind or a wave of senses, and not merely concrete infrastructures. And this ideology is the exact fundamental basis of Hospitality that I also wish to apply in my everyday life. </p>
<p>The gravity with which I hold my ambition very much goes to the intense research I conducted as to how I can pursue this passion. And then because of it’s highest proficiency, Cornell’s SHA popped up over and over again. Then I thought to myself: This is it. This is the that have been searching for! Cornell’s Hotel Administration, offering a wide range of possibilities, will allow me to become what I truly aspire to be. SHA offers specialized courses such as restaurant management 3350, hospitality facilities 3550 and Cornell Abroad Programs. I cannot help but smile and envision a challenging but exciting learning experience. Another Cornell’s distinct criteria that also ties to my field of interest: another foreign language. With good fortune, I am exposed to three different languages, but I wish to master yet another language through Cornell’s language programs. </p>
<p>I want to study hotel management and all its subfields. I find this field of study so relatable and connected to my life and mostly importantly, it allows me to understand what “passion” could possibly be like. </p>
<p>Yet again, I have another hotel magazine open in front of me. I flip to page 24 where it introduces the new Hilton Garden Inn that’s opened in Roanoke. With a great location, the Inn offers various entertainment. Glancing through the magazine’s content list, I can’t wait to see what it has to offer.</p>
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