The Hospitality, Tourism & Events Society (HTES) is one of the graduate student clubs at the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. The club’s president, Yasmin Yusuff, talks about her experience at NYU and her objectives for the club.
What is HTES?
The Hospitality, Tourism, and Events Society (HTES) is a student-run, student-led organization that welcomes all SPS graduate students interested in hospitality, tourism, and events to get involved with NYU, meet new peers, and foster professional connections. Through our programming, we create dialogue around important topics in our industries including sustainability, social responsibility, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
What brought you to the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality?
I knew I wanted to work in travel from the age of 14. I was in Belize with a Nat Geo Student Expedition because at the time, I'd wanted to become a marine biologist. While I left that trip knowing that fish dissection wasn’t for me, I found that I loved speaking to people about why they traveled and discussing with local residents what they loved about their destination. I thought I wanted to go into travel writing, so that was what I focused on in my undergrad at The New School. Though writing is still my preferred medium of expression, I have decided to focus my efforts on my conservationist roots, hone in on my entrepreneurial mindset and start a business focused on bettering the travel industry. I was accepted to several Tourism Management programs, but my ultimate decision to attend NYU was swayed by a Yellowbrick x NYU collaboration course on Hospitality and Tourism Industry Essentials. I knew then that my learning style would be enhanced and challenged in the best way by the teaching styles of the professors at the Tisch Center; I have yet to be proven wrong!
What are the objectives of HTES, and what kind of programming will the club offer this spring?
The objectives of HTES continues to be helping graduate students that are interested in being members/attending our events foster meaningful professional connections and stay aware of the trends in our industries from the leaders themselves. We plan to return to our full schedule of offering coffee chats, panels, and even conferences to our wider graduate student body. As for our current lineup, we plan on collaborating with faculty on a social entrepreneurship conference, hosting an experiential marketing panel, and re-instating our advocate program in addition to our usual committee events.
What are your personal goals for your time in HTES?
My number one personal goal for the rest of my time in HTES is to restore our active membership numbers to what they once were and set our future board members up for success. The more of a force we wield the bigger and more reach we can have when securing speakers for our events, which will only benefit the entire graduate student body.
How does HTES integrate the Hospitality, Tourism, and Events programs at the Tisch Center?
All of our professors have been extremely supportive of the club since my start in the program and have encouraged membership. In addition to often asking our professors to moderate our events, most of the events we create in HTES are based on our own niches, favorite courses, or current projects in our programs. The events are direct reflections of the knowledge we've acquired during our degrees. For many of us, this is the first time we have been able to be involved in these industries so closely, so every networking connection we make in class through our well-connected faculty is a potential speaker and additional learning experience for the HTES community.
How can students get involved in HTES?
Students from any graduate major can become a member via our Engage page or attend our open meetings which will be announced on our Instagram and LinkedIn Pages!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
At the end of this semester, several board positions will open up due to many of us graduating. I would suggest to those looking to take on leadership roles in the Fall to join now. That way, we can prime you to step into these roles smoothly and with confidence!