HOUSTON—Hospitality students from the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management were recognized at the International Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) conference in New Orleans in October, accepting the Student Chapter of the Year Award for the second year in a row.

The Cougar Chapter was selected from a pool of 18 other HFTP student chapters at colleges and universities across the globe. Each chapter was rated and ranked based on a number of criteria, including monthly meetings, participation in professional HFTP events, community involvement, member recruitment and retention, communications and video presentations submitted by the student members.

“This award means so much to our students and the College. We’re appreciative of HFTP’s support and the opportunities it provides to our students—the future of the hospitality industry,” said Tanya Venegas, staff advisor to the Cougar Chapter, HFTP fellow and executive director of the HFTP Research Institute. The Institute offers free information and data to HFTP members and is housed at Hilton College.

In addition to the students, Hilton College was represented at the conference by six faculty and staff presenters: Venegas, Arlene D. Ramirez, Dr. Priyanko Guchait, Dr. Cristian Morosan, Dr. Agnes L. DeFranco and Dr. Stephen Barth.

Ramirez, who serves as the faculty advisor to the Cougar Chapter, was also recognized for her leadership. She was inducted as the vice president of HFTP Global and will serve as the organization’s president next year.

HFTP was founded in 1952 to provide educational and networking events, certifications and other resources for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. Today, the organization has more than 4,400 members worldwide.

Contact:
Taylor Wiley
ttwiley@uh.edu 
713.743.4258