2018 - 2019 HSTM Newsletter
HSTM News
Our HSTM students spent time exploring in Scotland.
Dr. Dixon and his group of HSTM students visited Sterling Castle in Scotland before going on to look for the Loch Ness Monster.
Our HSTM students at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
HSTM students: Jared, Madison, Leah, and John visiting a scenic overlook in Delphi, Greece.
Dr. Price-Howard and her students before boarding the Bullet Train in China.
HSTM Studied Abroad
Over the last two years, the School of HSTM has been actively promoting faculty-led study abroad opportunities for our students. In the spring semester alone, HSTM students and faculty traveled to China, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, and Switzerland to learn and experience new cultures.
Dr. Dixon led a group of students to Ireland and Scotland over spring break to visit many historical and prominent tourism spots. The trip began in Dublin where they visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College Book of Kells, and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. Next, traveled to Belfast and visited filming locations for the popular television show, Game of Thrones. From Belfast, the group traveled on to Scotland where they visited the Edinburgh Castle which has loomed over the capital city for more than 1,000 years. Overall the trip was a success and the students thoroughly enjoyed their time spent in Ireland and Scotland.
At the same time, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Xu led a group of students to Greece and Switzerland. Their trip began by arriving in Athens, Greece where students visited many historical landmarks with the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Temple of Athena being favorites of the group. Students also got to spend time shopping in the historical Plaka District and try many local delicacies along the way. After spending time in Athens, the group moved on to other regions of Greece that included Delphi, Tolo, and Ancient Olympia. Students got to see the historical location of the original Olympic games as well as the 2004 Olympic games. A highlight for many of the students was the Saronic Gulf Cruise that took the students to several smaller Grecian islands to explore local culture, artistry, and cuisine. On the way home, the group made a quick stop in Switzerland before continuing their travels back to the states.
Dr. Price-Howard also helped in leading a study abroad trip to China over spring break that was hosted by the Troy University Confucius Institute. There were two HSTM students who took advantage of this fantastic opportunity to visit different cities in China and learn about the language, culture, history, and Chinese cuisines. While in China, the group had the opportunity to climb the Great Wall of China, visit a panda habitat, ride the Bullet Train, and take part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.
Upcoming Study Abroad Opportunity from HSTM
Dr. Dixon is currently offering a faculty-led study abroad opportunity to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. This trip will take place December 10-18, 2019. Some of the trip highlights include touring the BMW headquarters in Munich, Dashuau Concentration Camp & Memorial tour, and visits to the Nymphenburg Palace and St. Stephen's Cathedral. For more information on this trip, please visit TROY Abroad or email Dr. Dixon at awdixon@troy.edu.
HSTM Student Spotlight
Cameron Christopher, HSTM - Sports Management
Cameron Christopher is a senior majoring in Sports Management with a minor in Global
Business from Anniston, AL. During the summer months, Cameron had the opportunity
to work on the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience Tour.
What has this experience provided to you?
The BMW Tour was an amazing experience - I had the chance to drive $100,000+ BMW’s around and work alongside professional race car drivers on the racecourse. I also had the opportunity to go to California this summer for the first time while touring with BMW. Working in Miami, Florida and San Francisco, California has opened my mind to wanting a career that allows me to travel.
What advice would you give to fellow HSTM students?
The last thing I would like to tell everyone would be to never give up on a company you are passionate about because I received this job offer a year after I applied and I never expected to hear back.
Cameron has been invited back to California by his superiors to work in Los Angeles next month on the BMW Tour. He enjoyed his experiences with the BMW Tour and told us, "whether you’re looking to learn, try out the latest innovations in driving, or just have a good time, the BMW Ultimate Driving Experience is the place to go.”
Now that Cameron has returned to campus to finish out his senior year, he will be working in Campus Manager role doing marketing work for Amazon prime. The faculty and staff within the School of HSTM are very proud of Cameron and his accomplishments during his time here at Troy University.
Morgan Long, HSTM - Sports Management student is the newly elected SGA President
Morgan Long is a senior Sport Management major with a minor in Leadership Development. He has been able to serve Troy as a member of Freshman Forum, an IMPACT Leader, SGA Senator, Trojan Ambassador, and Vice President of Campus Activities. He was recently elected as the 2019-2020 SGA President and also serves as the Ambassador Association President. This foundation has given Morgan opportunities to learn and develop as a professional in and out of the classroom. While a student in the HSTM program, Morgan has had the opportunity to work for the Birmingham Barons for the past two summers as a Stadium Operations Intern and he currently works there as a Group Sales Intern.
How has your education and coursework in the HSTM program helped prepare you for your future career path?
It is amazing the amount of times I have been tasked with project at work that directly correlates with the material I have learned in class. Through these experiences it is evident that the course work we go over in our classes gives us an obvious advantage once we enter our respective professions.
What advice would you give to other Troy and HSTM students?
If I tell any student one thing it is to get involved; there are tons of opportunities and organizations on and off campus for students to not just experience and join but to thrive in. Take this time in your life to find out what you are passionate about and then go for it! You will be provided every opportunity as an HSTM student to get involved in Sports, Hospitality, and Tourism, but it is up to you to take advantage of these opportunities! Enjoy this time in college and don’t be afraid to ask questions to fellow students and faculty. GO TROJANS!
Congratulations, Morgan; we are excited to see what you will accomplish to better Troy University during the 2019-2020 academic year!
“ I am appreciative to be a member of the Trojan Family while being a student in the School of HSTM. The professors in HSTM truly care about the well-being of every student and are united in the goal of getting job placements for their students upon graduation.”
Morgan Long | Sports Management
HSTM Events
The hardworking students who organized the 11th Annual HSTM Charity Golf Tournament to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Troy.
HSTM faculty members enjoyed the Charity Golf Tournament and supporting our students.
Thank you to all of the participants and teams who came together to make our HSTM Charity Golf Tournament a success!
HSTM Fun Fest
The HSTM Fun Fest held at the Troy SportsPlex was also another successful event put on by the HSTM students under the supervision of Dr. Christina Martin. The children of the community were given the opportunity to come out and have a good time by playing different games and engaging in activities such as relay races, bouncy houses, “home run derby”, and softball pitching simulations amongst other fun activities. The undergraduate Event Management class was responsible for the overall planning, seeking out sponsors to assist with the funding of the event, and promoting the event to the community. There was a great turnout and all those involved, whether volunteering or participating, appeared to have a great time.
Our Event Management students did a great job planning and making the HSTM Summit a success.
One of the HSTM Summit teams as they presented their Track Plex business plan to investors.
This HSTM Summit team presented their business plan idea to add sports betting to a casino.
The Posh Plantation team with Dr. Dixon after their presentation had concluded.
HSTM Summit
Each semester, the HSTM Summit is held to allow our senior students the opportunity to present their business plan projects to a panel of faculty members. In the spring semester, there were eight team presentations and one solo presentation given. The students work diligently throughout the semester with faculty consultants to develop a business plan with components focusing on facilities, finances, and marketing. To conclude their presentation, they give an overall sales pitch asking the "investors" for support of their business based on the information they have presented. The floor is then opened for an intensive question and answer session to make sure the teams are well prepared and understand their business plan fully. Students came up with some great business ideas; we saw presentations ranging from The Yard, a food truck park eatery with a bar concept, to a team wanting to advance a Division II university to Division I. The ideas are limitless and it is always fun to see what the teams come up with each semester.
This is always a great event for the School of HSTM as all students are expected to attend, learn, and participate. Many of the students find watching the presentations to be of value to them for when it comes their turn to complete in the HSTM 4499-Seminar course. Once students successfully complete this major project, many feel a huge sense of relief as they realize graduation is waiting for them just around the corner. Thank you to our Event Management course students for organizing and hosting this elaborate event for us.
HSTM Banquet
The HSTM Banquet was held the evening of April 17th after the events of the HSTM Summit had concluded. This event also served as another opportunity for the students in the Event Management class to plan and host an event from start to finish. Every year, a theme is chosen for the celebration and this year's selected theme was "Back to the Future" Students and faculty members were encouraged to dress in clothing from their favorite decade. This was a fun, celebratory event for our students to be praised for all of their hard work and accomplishments over the past academic year. Dr. Dixon shared a few words with everyone, awards were given out to students and delicious food was catered by Sips on the Square. In addition to food and awards, we also had fun playing 80's and 90's trivia and the students got a good laugh as the professors participated in a game to award superlatives again this year. All in all, this was a great event and those involved enjoyed themselves.
2019 Internship Placements:
Sheila Blanchard: Housman & Associates
Leander, TX
Alex Breitling: Troy Athletics - Compliance
Troy, AL
Josie Boyd: St. Joe Club & Resorts - WaterSound Beach Club
WaterSound, FL
Richard Broady: Xtreme Fitness & Performance
Birmingham, AL
Yana Cai: LongYang District Huadu Hotel
Baoshan, Yunnan
Leah Calvert: Pike County Chamber of Commerce
Troy, AL
Yilin Chen: The Westin Pazhou Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
John Conner: Troy Athletics - Equipment
Troy, AL
Jiaqi Duan: Nan Shan District Tennis Center
Shenzhen, Guang Dong
Leah Ellison: Soleil Management
Rosemary Beach, FL
Alex Finch: Edge @ Troy Apartments
Troy, AL
Brantley Fraker: Charlotte Independence
Charlotte, NC
Madison Friedman: Troy University - Student Athlete Services
Troy, AL
Bo Gaston: Baytowne Adventure Zone
Miramar Beach, FL
Claire Graves: Campus Outreach
Birmingham, AL
Matthew Hartigan: Troy Athletics - Compliance
Troy, AL
Brian Hodge: Troy Sports Properties
Troy, AL
Jason Leverson: Troy Athletics - Football Operations
Troy, AL
Carlee Lipscomb: Spectrum Resorts
Gulf Shores, AL
Peyton Loyless: Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
Montgomery, AL
Megan McFadden: Troy Athletics - Compliance
Troy, AL
Kelsey Miller: University of Southern Mississippi - Ticket Office
Hattiesburg, MS
Ankissa Mounsesse: L'envie Restaurant
St. Jean, Valence
Thao Nguyen: Binh Thuan Branch Dessole Beach Resort Muine
Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan, Vietnam
Matthew Pisarski: Souris Valley Sabre Dogs Baseball Club
Minot, ND
Percy Richards:Troy Athletics - Ticket Office
Troy, AL
Ella Rutledge: Fernwood Country Club
McComb, MS
Michael Stopak: Breckenridge Recreation Center
Breckenridge, CO
Madison Taylor: Honest Tea
Los Angeles, CA
Douglas Thomas: Tallassee Parks and Recreation
Tallassee, AL
Rodney Thrift: Troy Athletics - Track & Field/Cross Country
Troy, AL
Tate Upton: Pike County District Attorney
Troy, AL
Josh Whitehorn: Bismark Larks
Bismark, ND
Qianqian Xia: Chongqing Athestel Hotel
Chongqing, China
Yiwen Xu: DoubleTree by Hilton Chongqing Wanzhou
Chongqing, China
Yingqian, Yang: DoubleTree by Hilton Chongqing Wanzhou
Chongqing, China
Where are the HSTM Alumni now?
Maria Barnett (2019): Portofino Island Resort, Special Events Sales and Service Manager
Pensacola Beach, FL
Jared Dunn (2019): Troy Athletics Development Office, Graduate Assistant of Development
Troy, AL
Logan Dunn (2019): Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, Marketing and Membership Coordinator
Monroeville, AL
Matthew Powers (2019): Fayette County Parks and Recreation, Athletic Coordinator
Fayetteville, GA
Erika (Quinn) Allen (2018): Marathon Health, Practice Support Specialist
Chattanooga, TN
Baylee Smith (2019): The Club, Event Coordinator
Birmingham, AL
Josephine "Joie" Tucker (2019): Birmingham Barrons, Catering Manager
Birmingham, AL
If you are an HSTM graduate, please let us know of your career updates by emailing Morgan Sims at masims@troy.edu.