Student Spotlight: Franklin Reitzas November 26, 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.  The city and NYU’s brand name is really important to me. There are several hospitality programs out there, especially the one up north, however, I chose the Tisch Center. The access to countless job opportunities, the NYU network connections, the great geographical location, and most of all the quality education are the reasons why I am so glad to have chosen the Tisch Center.

There’s nothing more than I want than to pursue than a career in hospitality and tourism industry. I love to travel and eat fine foods.  I love to cook and be creative. Most of all I love to invent new concepts. I also appreciate that the hospitality industry is very old school industry and is just beginning to “modernize”.  I want to be a part of this change, and have a positive impact on the future of the hospitality and tourism industry.

Q. What extracurriculars are you involved in?

A. In addition to attending all the events that Tisch Center hosts, I work at The Mark and Debra Leslie Entrepreneurship Lab, specifically in the Prototyping lab. Here I am an active member of the NYU startup community, and I assist and teach students how to create prototypes for their dream business. Outside of work and school, I am an avid marathon runner. Besides that, I love to fly airplanes.

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

A. By far, the best course I have taken is the first hospitality course I ever took with Dr. Hanson. It’s the introductory course that all hospitality students must take. The course is very dry, yet Dr. Hanson is very knowledgeable and knows exactly what he’s talking about. It was a very good introduction to the industry and I loved his passion.

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

A. I have both short-term and long-term goals. My short-term goals include graduating from NYU with the best grades possible, gaining hands-on experience through multiple internships, immersing myself within other cultures through study abroad Shanghai, and most of all creating memories and friendships that will last for my lifetime.

My long-term goals include creating my own brand of hotels. I plan on owning hundreds of hotels around the world with the hope of making a difference in people’s lives and allowing them to create memories and friendships for the rest of their lives.