Abby Cantrell wants to create memorable experiences — and her time at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln prepared her to do just that.
“Seeing my clients’ face light up makes me know I did a good job,” she said.
Cantrell will graduate Dec. 20 with a degree in hospitality, restaurant and tourism management. Through hands-on experiences such as planning local events and working major international events like the Masters Tournament, Cantrell said the program prepared her to collaborate with people from around the world.
“Having connections with other people is important to me and this industry lets you do that on all sorts of levels,” she said. “You have to anticipate needs and get to know people.”
Cantrell, a Chancellor’s Scholar from Malcolm, Nebraska, chose the university because of its dedicated hospitality program. She said other schools she looked at didn’t have the same kind of focused program specializing in hospitality and instead would roll it into others, like communications.
“I knew what I wanted to do, so having that specific direction and being able to gain industry-specific skills was really important to me,” she said. “Having something more specific where I could get those internships in hospitality jobs was really important.”
Growing up, Cantrell sometimes traveled with her parents when her father would go to conferences or other work events. She spoke with the company’s corporate event planner, who explained aspects of the job like travel and scouting locations for such events. Cantrell loved the idea of traveling to new places and then sharing those places with others.
“I want to be able to bring people together from across the nation to share in a memorable experience where they can work toward achieving their different business objectives,” she said.
Cantrell got to experience this kind of travel and event operation on a large scale firsthand when she was selected to travel to the Masters Tournament. Cantrell worked at the Masters three times as part of the program, and she said it was demanding but rewarding.
“In the moment I’m feeling exhausted, but every year when I reflect on it, it was truly the highlight of my year,” she said. “I gained an understanding of how hospitality works in those high class, once-in-a-lifetime experiences like that.”
Cantrell said she got to interact with people from around the world while serving in a corporate cabin at the Masters, and she was able to make lots of connections and learn from her supervisor, who owns her own event business.
“Being able to pick her brain was another really amazing thing I took away from that,” she said. “You need to know the skills, but to get a lot of these jobs, you need to know the people in the industry. Being able to get to know them on a personal level can give you a lot of insight.”
Cantrell also participated in a study abroad program in Spain and France, spending a week in each country learning about food production, history and culture.
“What made it unique was we got to see how farming and food production is different than in the U.S., which ended up really helping me because restaurants and food and beverage is obviously a big part of hospitality. … Getting to see how their farms work was really insightful, especially if I want to have a more global perspective.”
Cantrell said hands-on experiences like these have been invaluable because it prepares students for all kinds of work, from front-of-house jobs to managerial positions. Even in regular classwork, Cantrell had opportunities to plan large-scale events like she would be expected to as a professional. In her Advanced Events course, she planned a First Friday event in Lincoln, and she said it tested the skills was learning.
“It was my one of my first events I planned fully from the idea to execution, so to see it come to life and work out was really fulfilling,” she said. “I can do this, I’m capable enough to figure these things out even if I don’t know everything right now. … I wouldn’t try to plan a First Friday event on my own, but it was part of the course so I got to push myself really hard.”
After graduation, Cantrell hopes to work for a company that plans corporate events. She also plans to pursue a strategic marketing certificate from Nebraska’s College of Business.
“The program is really all-encompassing, so you get to practice parts of all different fields within hospitality: events, food and beverage, hotels, tourism.” she said. “So being able to take those classes has given me a more well-rounded perspective…The faculty know you personally and you can get to know your peers. You feel comfortable in every class to try new things.”