Student Club Spotlight: Hospitality and Tourism Society (HTS)

The Hospitality and Tourism Society is the graduate student club for the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. The club’s president, Daijie (Hailey) Yuan, talks about her experience at NYU and her objectives for the club. 

How did you decide that you wanted to study at the Tisch Center? 

My passion for hospitality started when my family purchased a hotel. I witnessed the entire process of my father turning an old-fashioned hotel to an iconic destination. I remember my father was very hands-on during the whole development: he ensured the highest quality for the hotel and was able to position the hotel in a way that captured a lot of attention.  I spent a lot of my summer time working in different departments of the hotel. That experience, as well as studying abroad for the past 6 years, helped me confirm by passion for hospitality and tourism. When I came to graduate school to pursue my passion, it was very clear that I wanted a program that is professionally driven, where I could connect with industry professionals and be encouraged to be a leader in our industry. The hospitality program at NYU checked everything on my list, and that’s why I decided to study here. 

Are there particular events that you are most looking forward to this year for HTS? 

We have a lot of exciting events coming up this year. In the coming months, we will host a restaurant tour at a Michelin-starred restaurant. I remember hearing many of my students in my class saying that they are passionate about the restaurant segment of the hospitality industry, so I wanted to host an event geared towards that. This event will be in collaboration with the NYU Restaurateur Club, as the President of the Restaurateur Club is also in the Tisch hospitality program. Next semester, another exciting event will be a travel and hospitality technology conference, in collaboration with the NYU HFTP (Hospitality Finance and Technology Professionals) chapter. 

What do you hope to take away from serving as President of HTS? 

I hope to take away happy memories and lessons including how to plan an event and how to be a leader. I also hope to take away the network that I will have accumulated and the friends that I will have made in the club.

How do you think that this leadership role will impact your career and future goals? 

I think this role will help my future career a lot because growing up, I rarely put myself in the spotlight. This is the first time where I am taking a leadership role and it has helped me to see my potential. I believe at the end of my HTS journey, I will be even clearer on what my strengths and weaknesses are, and start to develop a clear leadership style for my future career.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

This year I want to encourage students to explore more and not just limit themselves to the classroom. I think this program is designed to empower students to explore their potential. My goal for the upcoming year will be encouraging students to connect more with industry professionals and other students at the Jonathan M. Tisch Center (in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management). I also want to encourage students to explore more, including exploring outside of the classroom, their field of study and last but not least, their own comfort zone.