HFIM Highlights

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economic's nationally-ranked Hospitality and Food Industry Management program provides a world-class education to students both in and out of the classroom requiring two for-credit internship experiences. Along with multiple study abroad programs such as one addressing food insecurity in Cuba and another about viticulture in the Mediterranean, HFIM also has strong partnerships on campus and across the state of Georgia. This helps to ensure that students have multiple opportunities to participate in transormative experiential learning opportunities. Read below to learn about student's experiences in their internships.

Noelle Delli-Gatti: Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel

Noelle Delli-Gatti, a fourth-year student in the program, is currently participating in an internship with the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel and has been in the position since January. She explains that her rationale for choosing this internship was its ability to expand her knowledge of restaurant management and operations. She stated that HFIM has prepared her for future endeavors that she may participate in post-graduation. She further explained that throughout her time in the program, she has learned how to handle real-life situations and scenarios with the resources that have been given to her. She pointed out that the HFIM program has also prepared her on how to handle various operational practices within a business. She closed with, "As my internship comes to an end, I just want to say how thankful I am for this experience and how much I have enjoyed the entire internship. Also, as I close in on graduation, I can reflect on all the hospitable practices I have learned over the years and utilize them in my post-graduation occupation."

Ethan Romanick: Talona Ridge Luxury RV Resort

Ethan Romanick is graduating this year from the HFIM program with his final credits coming from his internship within Talona Ridge Luxury RV Resort. When asked about how exactly he got into the internship, he explained that when Talona Ridge first opened in 2021, nobody in Ellijay knew what to expect, much less himself. He explains that the concept of a luxury RV resort was new to him, but after driving past one day, he decided to stop in to see what it was and ask a couple of questions. The Director of Operations (a fellow University of Georgia graduate) explained that they had been discussing creating an internship program for UGA students and that from there everything fell into place. When asked about how the HFIM program prepared him for his internship, he first discussed the hard skills, like the logistics of Talona Ridge such as considerations for occupancy and dynamic pricing. However, he said that the soft-skills he acquired were the most critical in his success. He claims that adaptability and understanding the nature of an organization's customer base are critical. While in the internship, he has continued to learn and grow with the management team constantly helping to develop his strengths. Finally, when discussing how the internship has helped him grow, he claims that staying prepared and anticipating future customer concerns are two skills he has had to learn through this experience which included someone backing their motor home over a tree and dealing with loose chickens laying eggs in the community. He explains that having a highly trained grounds team and close relationship with local mechanics has helped with this internship a great deal.

Network with the Rising Stars

On February 6th, 2025, the HFIM program hosted their annual Network with the Rising Stars event where fourteen industry leaders joined us on campus in the Magnolia Ballroom of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel. These leaders ranged from individual hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee to major entities such as IHG Hotels and Resorts. We are appreciative of everyone who joined us. At the event, HFIM also inducted its newest Eta Sigma Delta members, the honor society for Hospitality and Food Industry Management.