Internships are a requirement at Rosen College, but for many students, their experiences are far from ordinary. Take Ryan Dowling, a senior majoring in hospitality management, who has been interning in the sales and marketing division at Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) since fall 2013.
His academic and extracurricular focus on the timeshare industry paid off on the job when he won a competitive company-wide contest this spring. Aside from securing bragging rights, he outperformed more than 1,600 marketing representatives for the grand prize: a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line. In addition to this generous reward, WVO has already offered Dowling a permanent position upon graduation in December.
“Ryan is one of our top performers,” said Robin Griffith, Senior Manager, Marketing. “He is well respected and a true asset to our team.”
“At Wyndham Vacation Ownership, we pride ourselves on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent to remain an industry leader,” added Sarah King, Executive Vice President, Human Resources. “Our strong partnership with UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management throughout the years has been instrumental in helping us identify top talent and grow our next generation of leaders.”
For more information about hospitality management education at Rosen College, please visit hospitality.ucf.edu.