A Ripple Effect of Success

When Gui Cunha joined the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism at Miami Beach Senior High School it was out of necessity. “As immigrants coming over, when you’re in a new country you have a different situation and different necessity to assist your family,” Gui said. Gui needed an opportunity that would provide them with instant and long-term benefits. He was a part of the school’s Scholars Academy for gifted students. While the program was beneficial to those who joined, it didn’t support the immediate needs of its immigrant students.

The solution to his problem was simple: join a NAF academy. NAF’s theme-focused academies transform the learning environment to include STEM-infused, career-relevant curricula, and work-based learning activities, including paid internships. As a NAF student, Gui would not only gain knowledge and build skills to be successful in their future career paths, but he could also earn money now through paid internships. However, the solution posed another problem. “For my brother and I, and 10 other students, it was a big deal when we made the move because it wasn’t done before, nor was it encouraged,” Gui said. The teachers were worried that the students would be so excited by the opportunity to earn money that they would eventually drop out of high school. This wasn’t the case at all. The students just needed the jobs to bring extra money into their homes. 

With a bit of reluctance and skepticism, the students were allowed to make the move. Although it was a difficult situation, it proved to be a step in the right direction for Gui. That one decision had a significant impact on his perspective on his future.

This was the start of his career in tourism. “The number one thing the academy did was broaden my understanding of what hospitality is,” Gui said. “It inspired me. There are endless possibilities in the industry.” After high school, Gui attended Florida International University on a full scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management.

Now, Gui is the Tourism Director of Seminole County. “I did not expect to be where I’m at today,” Gui said. Did I think I would be successful? Yes, but I didn’t think I would be leading the tourism department of a county government in Orlando before I turned 32 years old.” Gui’s responsibilities include meeting with commissioners and general managers to discuss forecasting, occupancy, and average daily rate. What sounds like enigmatic terms to someone outside of the industry is basic knowledge for Gui. These are concepts he learned when he was a NAF student. “What we learned at a very young age helped propel us into where we are today, in leadership positions,” he says. He’s known the seasons and the trends of Florida before entering the workforce and understands that there is a direct correlation between the weather in the northeast and the rise of the tourism season. Gaining this knowledge at a very young age allowed Gui to come up with creative ways to maneuver and increase demand— in other words, it made him exceptional at his job. It’s no wonder how he rose to the top so quickly.

Despite how demanding a successful career can be, Gui always found a way to stay involved with NAF. Two things important to him are giving back to NAF and tourism development in Seminole County. He has coached a few AOHT teams to state titles and currently sits on a regional NAF advisory Board. “To come back and join the regional advisory board was a no brainer,” Gui said. “That was instilled in us the moment we graduated.”

That one tough decision he made over a decade ago to join the AOHT has had a ripple effect of success in his life and he didn’t take it for granted. “Any time that I’m able to help the academy or get more people involved or interested, I take the opportunity. I’m a product of the NAF Academy of Hospitality & Tourism program so I know what it can do.”