BETHESDA, MD—On Feb. 19, a group of 25 students from the Wilson High School and Columbia Heights High School’s Academies of Hospitality and Tourism visited the Marriott headquarters here, where they toured the Marriott Innovation Lab and met Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, who spoke to them about the advantages of a career in the hospitality industry and how important it is for students to leverage the educational opportunities available to them.
Also presenting at the event was Ray Bennett, a Marriott SVP for the Americas, who inspired students with his personal story about his journey to a successful career.
The Washington, DC, school district chancellor, Kaya Henderson, spoke at the event as well, and reiterated the comments from the other speakers about the value of utilizing the educational experience in the academy to better prepare for both college and careers.
The academies are part of the National Academy Foundation (NAF), which is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that open doors for underserved high school students to viable careers. For more than 30 years, NAF has provided young people access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences and relationships with business professionals. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering and health sciences. More than 5,000 business professionals volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships and serve on local advisory boards. During the 2014-15 school year, nearly 82,000 students attended 667 NAF academies across 38 states, including DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2014, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated.