One of the Hospitality professors that greatly influenced me was Stephanie Dathe.  Up until my junior year, I had only spoken to Stephanie minimally, when I would see her around campus and at MESA events.  The same semester that I had my first class with Stephanie as a teacher, I decided to run for the MESA board, and took on a position as Director of Special Events.

I knew I would be working a lot with Stephanie during the semester, but I didn’t know that she would be so awesome and inspirational.  It was really great to be able to look up to Stephanie as an industry professional who does what I want to do! She took on a mentor role in my life, which was extremely helpful and much needed to motivate me. We were in constant communication throughout the entire planning process for the MESA LA trip, so I really got to know her.  With Stephanie’s extensive knowledge in event planning, I was able to go to her with advice about the trip and she would help lead me in the right direction.  She was such an angel to support me during the stressful planning process, and it made me want to have others be able to rely on me in the same way.