Student Spotlight: Harper Lan 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 reason I chose to come to the Tisch Center was because of the great location of the school. In New York City, we have so much access to key professionals in the industry. We have more opportunities than other students to explore internship opportunities and networking.

I have always been determined about what I wanted to do since primary school. I read a book that is written by a hospitality major student studying at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. I was fascinated by the life he described in his journal and after doing a few internships and gaining a deeper understanding of the industry, I knew I wanted to pursue this career path.

Q. What extracurriculars are you involved in?

A. I am the President of NYU HSMAI (Hospitality Sales & Marketing International Association). We host about 10-15 events each semester connecting students with professionals. These include a few hotel tours, networking events, and panel discussions. These events benefit students, especially underclassmen to help them learn more about the industry.

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

A. The accounting class I took last semester with Professor Steven Kent. His class was really fun and enjoyable. During our midterm, he put a picture of his dog on the projector to calm our fears and make taking the exam a bit more bearable.

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

A. I plan to take hotel development as my concentration because I love the idea of creating something new. I really want to work in that area, specifically related to branding and hotel design that will serve as an intermediary between the investor and the client.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share?

A. I really believe the Tisch Center has the best hospitality program. Tisch has a great alumni network and one of our club sponsors, Jonathan Kim, has helped to sponsor many of our events in NYU HSMAI. With this kind of alumni network and great location, as students, we don’t have to worry about internship opportunities since they are everywhere. Our faculty are all industry professionals and several of them invite amazing guest speakers to our lectures. I hope to contribute to the Tisch Center by hosting more events that will be beneficial for students and that will increase the Center’s brand awareness.