Graduate Student Spotlight: Harini Premnath December 3, 2018

The following interview was conducted by Tisch Center student worker, Haley Park.

Q. What made you decide that you wanted to study at the Tisch Center and pursue a career in this industry?

A. At first, I didn’t know that the Tisch Center even had a hospitality program. However, NYU has always been a dream school of mine and being in New York City has always been an important factor for me. Given my ambition to launch a startup in the hospitality industry, I set out on a search for the best schools out there and I was excited to learn about the Tourism and Hospitality program through a Virtual Education Fair. I immediately applied and that has been the best decision of my life.

Q. What has been one of your favorite classes at the Tisch Center?

A. When I first was choosing my classes, I really didn’t know much about any of the professors or classes. However, after looking up the professors’ backgrounds on LinkedIn, I found that all of them had strong backgrounds in the industry and that’s the core competency of the Tisch Center. Your professors are your first and the most valuable industrial contacts. This fact also helped me to have confidence in the courses that I was taking. One of my favorite classes in Tourism is Marketing of Destinations, taught by Professor Karaburun, and I am also loving a course I am taking in the Hospitality program: Revenue Strategies, taught by Professor Kerry Mack. Professor Mack’s class is fast-paced and she bombards you with mathematical problems and strategies but you learn so much from her class.

Q. What extracurriculars are you involved in?
 

A. I am the President of the Hospitality and Tourism Society. In addition, I am a graduate program assistant at the Wasserman Center for Career Development. I assist and co-lead a graduate student advisory board. Before this, I was an orientation leader at the NYU Office of Global Services. I really like interacting with new people and understanding their perspectives. Additionally, I also enjoy gazing at skylines and painting them on canvases.

Q. What do you see yourself doing in the future?

A. My passion lies in destination marketing. I’ve always enjoyed learning about new marketing strategies and initiatives, and also coming up with new products. The thought of doing something like that at the destination level makes it even more exciting. Having said that, I see myself as an enthusiastic strategist handling highly sensitive decisions and setting out a platform that molds and revolutionizes the way travel is perceived.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share?

A. Networking is the most important thing when you’re at NYU, specifically when you’re at the Tisch Center. The school also amazing opportunities for fellow students to build their career and also some very good scholarship opportunities for international and domestic students. As Dean Nicolas Graf says, ‘The opportunities are out there for everyone – it is up to you to grab them. You need to step out of your comfort zone and go after what you want.”