UCF congratulates Rosen College of Hospitality Management alumni and new parents, Erica (class of ’04) and David Buckalew (class of ’05) on the birth of their son, Austin Tyler.
“Parenthood is treating us very well! Austin is such an amazing baby,” shares Erica. “It’s so much fun getting to spend all this time with him and seeing how he grows and changes from day to day,” she adds.
Barely two months old, Austin has already traveled and has been exposed to the industry. This is to be expected as mom is a Meeting Manager at Publicis Meetings USA and dad is the owner of Buckalew Hospitality, a hospitality consulting business specializing in meeting and event staffing and service and product evaluations for hotels across the country. “He’s been to Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, St. Pete and is about to go to Washington D.C. and New York City,” says David. He adds that Austin has also been to the zoo, on a boat, stayed at a hotel and attended baseball games.
David and Erica hold season tickets to UCF Football and Basketball games and plan to introduce Austin to the university at an early age. “We look forward to bringing him to family-friendly alumni events. It is important to stay connected because we are still part of the UCF community living in Orlando and UCF has opened up so many doors for both of us,” shares David. “The alumni association is an integral part of the grand scheme in keeping in touch.”
The couple hopes to steer Austin towards UCF in the future, but feel that ultimately it will be his decision – the only exception? “If he wants to go to USF, then we will step in and make an executive veto,” shares David.
With that much school spirit, it would be no surprise if Austin becomes a Knights fan before he can walk. Rosen College wishes the best for Baby Buckalew.