College is the time to expand one’s mind, create new friendships and, most importantly, build a professional career. Some Aztecs go above and beyond balancing all of these things — one of these Aztecs is hospitality and tourism management junior Kendra Maclure.
As a freshman, Maclure was apprehensive about becoming involved on campus. However, after some persistent convincing from a friend, she became a member of the group National Society of Minorities in Hospitality.
NSMH promotes minorities in the hospitality field. Each year, the organization holds a regional conference and a national conference that help students prepare for interviews, build their resumes and, most importantly, find a career.
“The NSMH conferences are a really good way to meet recruiters from all different kinds of hotels, and they get to know you personally,” Maclure said.
Maclure has taken extensive leadership opportunities in NSMH, starting with her involvement on the external board her freshman year. She has since held the position of planning director, and she’s currently serving as the national secretary.
“Kendra simply goes the extra mile to gain experiences that most college
students do not,” hospitality and tourism management program director Carl Winston said.
The IMEX America: Future Leaders Forum is an event catered toward benefiting young leaders in their careers and life endeavors. Unsurprisingly, Maclure was one of the eight students chosen to attend this distinguished symposium in Las Vegas.
With the many events and organizations she was involved with, it soon became evident to Maclure that serving an important role in an organization comes with many responsibilities and challenges. Serving as a member of NSMH, while also gaining experience in the professional field, has taught Maclure about the skills needed to balance being a student and a professional.
“I think with anything, staying on top of tasks and staying organized is a really important thing,” Maclure said.
She also believes that a pivotal key to success is by always having time for one’s self. Whether it’d be unwinding with television, listening to music or, Maclure’s personal favorite, exercising, having a small amount of time per day dedicated to oneself is a must in her opinion.
This past summer, Maclure served as an intern at The Westin hotel located in the Gaslamp Quarter. Her responsibilities included handling front desk duties, redirecting guests to the various departments they desired and even taking room service orders. While Maclure says that her Westin internship was not exactly a glamorous job, she gained valuable work experience that could benefit her in the future.
Before Maclure completed her most recent internship at The Westin however, she also added an externship to her hefty resume. This externship was fulfilled at the highly regarded St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado.
Maclure commends SDSU for its extensive career resources offered to students, and believes they played a large part in her professional endeavors.
“There are so many resources at SDSU that students don’t take advantage of,” Maclure said.
Building a professional persona while also being a student can be a difficult task. However, even with the challenge of doing so, Maclure has gained a reputation for herself and her work ethic that is especially noticeable.
“She is not some over-achieving robot, she just does those things that I wish all students would do,” Winston said.
In the three years that Maclure has attended SDSU, she has excelled in creating a honest and personable reputation. Maclure is optimistic about the future once she graduates, Maclure hopes to get a job within in the destination management aspect of hospitality and tourism management and obtain a master’s degree.
