What originally started as the Recreation Student Association at San Diego State in the early 2000s, is now the Recreation and Tourism Student Association. RTSA serves as a liaison between members and local professionals as well as a place of opportunity and professional growth for its members.
While open to all majors, RTSA’s main focus is helping students get connected with local industry experts. With an aim to provide its members with access to an abundance of volunteer, networking and professional development opportunities, RTSA strongly encourages giving back to the local San Diego community and working to make a difference in the lives of others.
RTSA often works in partnership with the California Parks and Recreation Society to hold instructive and beneficial networking and education events throughout the year for SDSU students.
Hospitality and Tourism junior Amy Belgum attended the last RTSA/CPRS networking event and got to experience firsthand the benefits of RTSA networking after she left the event with a job offer.
“I was nervous to go to the event because I’m not an RTM major but I wanted to branch out to other disciplines,” Belgum said. “I’m very happy that I did because I was able to learn more about the RTM field and how it compared to HTM, as well as leaving with an employment opportunity in my desired industry.”
Though certainly a broad field, RTSA President Caroline Nuñez sums it up in her own words as, “mainly about helping people and bettering lives.”
“There’s a variety of ways to be in the Recreation & Tourism industry,” Nunez said. “Whether it’s working at after school recreation programs, being employed by the NFL, or even managing efforts to protect local resources, that’s all matters of recreation and tourism.”
Nunez explains RTSA is always open to new members and notes there is a variety of leadership opportunities available. Reflecting on how the RTSA has had such a positive impact on her life, including being the organization in which she first met her now best friend, Nunez states that she never saw her saw herself being president of an organization here at SDSU. However, by getting involved with RTSA, she quickly developed both personally and professionally and is grateful for the mentorship she has encountered since joining.
“I noticed professionals really want to help students,” said Nunez.
