At Olympic Heights Community High School, the Hospitality & Tourism Academy is busy preparing students for careers in the hospitality industry, which encompasses careers in travel and tourism, lodging, food and beverages, recreation, and much more. 

The Hospitality & Tourism Academy at OH is a four year program that addresses technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship.  

The Hospitality & Tourism Academy offers challenging but fun classes and is full of ready and willing students and a very passionate teacher. Ms. Elisa Beardsley-Dodd is the Hospitality & Tourism Academy teacher, and she opens up great opportunities to each and every one of her students. 

“What I like best about being in the hospitality and tourism academy is that I have been able to learn so much about the industry by going on several field trips,” explains Level 4 OH Hospitality and Tourism senior Sarah Nelson. “For example, we went to Town Center Mall and we were able to get a behind the scenes tour of the mall. These field trips have been able to show me so much about the industry from restaurants, malls, amusement parks, arenas, etc.” 

Level 4 OH Hospitality and Tourism senior Alyssa Hurwitz adds, “I feel that the academy has prepared me for a career in the industry by introducing me to a wide range of careers I can pursue and helping me to earn certifications that help to build my resume!”

Beardsley-Dodd encourages students to find internships, build their resume, and explore each career opportunity that being a part of the Hospitality & Tourism Academy can lead to, all while giving her students the tools they will need to succeed. 

Both Nelson and Hurwitz are co-presidents of the OH DECA Club (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America), and they credit Beardsley-Dodd with helping them establish the OH chapter of the club.

“Ms. Beardsley-Dodd has helped me by allowing me to grow professionally and as a leader with the academy,” reports Nelson.  “I was fortunate to be able to start a DECA chapter at OH, and I am a co-president that helps to run the club with guidance from Ms. B.”

“Ms.B has helped me prepare for a career in the industry by starting the club DECA my sophomore year,” adds Hurwitz. “With her help we have formed a quickly growing chapter. Through this, I have learned so much about leadership/management and social networking.” 

The OH Hospitality & Tourism Academy is also aligned with the Junior Achievement program, which is an entrepreneurship program that gives students the opportunity to create and run their own business. Students take their ideas, research them, develop a company structure, and if successful, they get the chance to sell their products to the public.

Creating their own business allows students to gain insight into the world of business that they may choose to enter into in the future. With the experience gained through the Hospitality & Tourism Academy, the students are all but guaranteed a path to success in their chosen field.

“My participation in the JA program has shown real world application with the creation and running of a business!” Nelson explains. “I love that it is hands on and we get to learn by doing.”

“This program [Junior Achievement] has been so influential to me,’ adds Hurwitz. “I work on the finances of our company, Pouches 4 a Purpose, and I have learned more than I ever thought I could about finances. Before this program, I had never started a business or knew how much work really goes into it. This program has shown me what it takes to have a successful business, and I hope to do so one day.”