by Sokha Chen, September 23, 2019

Seeking or applying for an internship during college is quite a challenge, as there are so many students beginning their internships at the same time.  Students who do not have various experiences in working, find it very hard to apply at one property; then pass the interview. Some of the students have been struggling to seek their internships.

Therefore, I was a bit nervous when the time to begin my internship was fast approaching. I decided to reapply at the Hyatt Place/Downtown the Loop, Chicago as the Gallery Host lead. To be honest, I really like the Hyatt Place/Downtown the Loop hotel where I have found my inspiration to accomplish my goals for providing excellent services, and to be able to assist guests regarding their satisfactions during their stays. I was quite nervous at the beginning, yet the management team has encouraged me to fulfill my dream and accomplish my goals. They have been very supportive of me throughout my internship.

As an intern for 3 months at the Hyatt Chain property, I have excelled individually in learning many different functions within the Gallery Host department (Front Desk Agent) including completing all reports for the first hour beginning of my shift, then assuring all the routing and guests requests are completed before their arrivals to avoid any errors later on. Furthermore, I have become more independent and very confident in my technical skills, like completing all the tasks myself by using Opera and Colleague Advantage system professionally. Working there is always challenging because every staff receives incentives for their best performance in assisting the guests. Nevertheless, the hotel chain itself, colleagues, and all management team have convinced me to come to work every day with a smiley face and full energy because of their welcoming and supportive work environment.

Finally, I realize that my communication skills and the ability to communicate with guests, management team, and colleagues are positively impressive. I have become very confident in starting conversations with guests and making them smile, which changes their difficult days to delightful days. Moreover, I am always aware of my organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills by analyzing the issues and providing solutions to guests at the end of every shift. I am very passionate about my internship and the things I have accomplished. There are so many skills that I have learned in classes that I really have to apply to my internship. It is always amazing to have improved my skills the past three months at this incredible internship site.

Furthermore, I want to build a great reputation for Kendall College students and the school within Hospitality Management Program. Also, it is a great opportunity to learn from the manager who sets amazing examples as a leader, not just a boss—the time to learn and apply more skills into professional life in terms of hotel management and operations. As being supervised and trained by a talented assistant general manager, I have become more capable with the hotel industry and acknowledge the workings of the hotel. It has brought me to a different level in the hotel industry. I am so very proud of my achievements and cannot wait to utilize these tremendous work experiences when I return to Cambodia.

Finally, I would like to give my special thanks to the Kendall College Trust Scholarship that has granted me the scholarship which helped support my school tuition for two years. Most importantly, without the grants, I would struggle so hard to finish my college as well as achieving my dream job within the hotel industry.  I am really thankful for the KCT scholarship staffs who have helped me along the way, the Kendall College at NLU and faculties who were there to educate me and acknowledged my abilities to strengthen my knowledge. Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents who were there for every moment—no matter what has happened, they were there to support my decisions and will never give up on me.