June 07, 2005
Tuesday

After years of washing dishes, working the food line, filling orders and managing a restaurant, Anchorage resident Nicholas Massie now has a scholarship from the Alaska Travel Industry Association Foundation (AlaskaTIA) that will help fulfill his dreams of owning his own restaurant and hotel.  
 
Massie - who received $5,000 over two years to pursue a master's degree in hospitality and restaurant management at the University of Nevada-Reno -- is one of 12 Alaskan students pursuing careers in the visitor industry who received $24,500 in scholarship funds from AlaskaTIA's Foundation this year. Foundation selected the 12 scholarship winners from a pool of 28 Alaska applicants. The selection criteria included academic achievement, tourism-orientated career goals, letters of reference and an essay each applicant wrote about their future plans.
 
"Tourism is Alaska's second largest private-sector employer," said Stefanie Gorder, chair of the AlaskaTIA Foundation, which selected the scholarship recipients. "By assisting these talented students today, we are helping develop Alaska's skilled work force for tomorrow."
 
AlaskaTIA is made up of over 900 member-businesses, from large cruise lines to small bed and breakfasts. Members donate money to fund the scholarship program at industry events throughout the year and through seven local chapters of the association across Alaska.

"This scholarship program exhibits tourism's investment in its future. The travel industry offers many excellent career opportunities and AlaskaTIA is committed to helping these students explore these opportunities and develop Alaska's future work force," said AlaskaTIA president and COO, Ron Peck.
                                                            
In addition to Massie, the following students were selected by AlaskaTIA Foundation to receive assistance through the scholarship program:
 
Erik Anderson of Juneau and Ryan Seaver of Ketchikan were the recipients of the Kris Geldaker Memorial Scholarship, which is dedicated to helping students pursuing a career in tourism or a maritime-related field.  Each student will  receive $2,500 per year and renewable for up to four years. Anderson  attends the University of Alaska Southeast and Seaver attends the California Maritime Academy. This is the first year that two Kris Geldaker  scholarships were awarded thanks to increased support from the Ketchikan  chapter of AlaskaTIA.

The AlaskaTIA Rural Scholarship went to Sofia Nicole Reutov of Nikolaevsk.  Reutov will use the $2,500 to toward her travel specialist degree  from Anchorage's Career Academy.  Reutov is fluent in Russian and hopes to one day travel the world.
 
Moose Pass senior Teal Hetrick received the $2,500 AlaskaTIA Anchorage Chapter scholarship. Hetrick plans to attend Northern Arizona University in the fall where she will study hotel management and journalism. Hetrick would like to travel the world as a travel writer or as an employee of a global company tied to a travel agency.
 
Carole Sharpe of Anchorage, who is pursuing a degree in business studies at Alaska Pacific University after moving to Alaska to pursue new horizons, received one of the two AlaskaTIA Continuing Education Scholarships. Sharpe will use her $1,000 scholarship to complete her degree in business administration to further her career in tourism. The other Continuing Education Scholarship winner, Leah Rene Boltz of Palmer, was awarded a $2,500 scholarship to assist with her goal of obtaining her master's degree in business administration from the University Alaska Anchorage. Boltz's ultimate goal is to work in tourism public relations in Alaska.
 
The Bob Rocker Memorial Scholarship, funded by Dave and Liz Knightly of Knightly Tours, was awarded to Kory Eberhardt of Fairbanks. Eberhardt will apply his $2,000 scholarship toward his business studies degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Eberhardt plans to stay in Alaska after graduation and continuing working in tourism and marketing Alaska as a visitor destination.
 
Alex Worthen of Anchorage received the $1,000 Alaska Vacations Scholarship. He will use his scholarship when he transfers to the University of Washington in the fall to study business and computer science. Upon graduation Worthen plans to return to Alaska and work on creating efficient systems for use by Alaska tourism businesses.
 
Sara Schroeder of Ketchikan received the $1,000 Holland America Line Scholarship that she will apply toward her business marketing and management studies in the fall at the University of Alaska Southeast. Schroeder would like to one day extend that degree into the field of aviation.
 
Jacquoi James of Yakutat received the $1,000 Princess Cruises and Tours Scholarship that she will apply toward her business administration and marketing studies degree at the University of Alaska Anchorage this fall. James hopes to work in the field of tourism marketing and advertising upon completion of her degree.
 
Brian Vreeland of Ketchikan was awarded the Alaska Travel Adventures Scholarship of $1,000. Vreeland will be transferring to Washington State University in the fall to continue work on his degree in business management and operations. Vreeland hopes to work in the cruise industry after he graduates.

The ATIA is a non-profit organization that conducts marketing on behalf of the State of Alaska.  

Source of News:

Alaska Travel Industry Association Foundation (AlaskaTIA)

 

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