Abigail Schwartz

HTM301
Mentor Network Part 2

Going into this mentor network assignment I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to
take away from it, but I was really excited for the opportunity to reach out and find
mentors for myself. This project challenged me due to the fact that I would have never
found these amazing mentors if it weren’t required for a grade. Now that I have
established, met with, and contacted my mentors multiple times I am overall grateful for
the “push” this project has given me to put myself out there. When starting to look for
mentors I knew I wanted to reach out to people I admired, respected, or had a career
path in common with. I strived to make this a challenge for myself because I knew these
mentors were not just for the project, they would be for life. Although it seemed scary to
me at first to reach out to such successful people with the nervous feeling they wouldn’t
have time for me or wouldn’t want to be my mentor, I was surprised with the immediate
“YES” responses and their excitement to assist me.
Karen Giovannini was assigned to me from the HTM department as my peer
mentor. Going into meeting Karen for the first time I was excited to be paired up with
another HTM student who was older than me because I could get advice and
knowledge from her about the program such as what classes to take, who were the best
professors, how to be successful within the HTM program, etc. Karen and I first got in
contact through email on September 26, 2017 and then since then have met up multiple
times on campus in the library and at Starbucks, as well as have been in touch
constantly through text message. The first time Karen and I met was in the library and
during that time we got to know so much about each other. We both had such unique
stories about how we got to end up where we are today and that was something we
immediately bonded over. Karen was a transfer student who has been through so much
in order to finally be able to graduate next semester, so hearing her open up about that
was truly inspiring. I told Karen about my story and how the high school I went to made
you declare your major as a freshman, so I have been studying Hospitality and Tourism
management for over six years now. Our different stories that both led us to the same
path which showed me the diversity within the HTM program at San Diego State and
made me excited to graduate from such an establish institution. Following that, we
discussed the classes I was currently taking and she talked me through ways that
helped her succeed within those classes last year and how I could be successful as
well. It was amazing having her input because I had been struggling with balancing out
midterms, group projects, and homework at the time. In between the times we would
physically meet up Karen and I would be in touch via text message whether it was to
make plans to meet, questions I had about a class, or her wishing me luck on projects
or midterms I had. Overall the text messaging part of our relationship was so beneficial
because I knew I could go to her any hour of the day for support or questions and she
would be there to help me through it. Within our next few meetings at Starbucks, Karen
helped me with my Conquest Air poster, discussed the classes I want to take next
semester, how to study for my final exam for HTM380, what we both want to do after
college, among other things as well. Karen applied for the Marriot Management Training
Program for post graduation and that is something I am really passionate about doing
too so it was incredible hearing how her interview went and what things I should prepare
when it is my turn to apply and interview. Overall, my experiences with being assigned a
peer mentor were better than I imagined. Karen was so generous with her time and not
only would I consider her my peer mentor just for HTM301 but a friend and someone I
can go to even after this class is over to ask advice from. I feel as though my goals were
met with Karen’s assistance because she pushed me to my full potential and I believed
if she could do it so could I. We will be in touch through next semester while she still is
in San Diego and then after that be in touch through phone call and text messages.
My professional mentor was Steven J. Lyons who is the Senior Vice President of
Purchasing, Construction, Retail, and Administration at Diamond Resorts International. I
reached out to Steven via phone call and he was thrilled to be my mentor. Being born
and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada it is a pretty small town and everybody knows
everybody. Steven was my next-door neighbor growing up and my family has constantly
been in touch with him even since we moved developments. I decided to reach out to
him and ask if he would be my mentor because anytime my parents would see him
around town, Steven would always ask about me because he knew I was studying
Hospitality and told them if I ever needed anything to not hesitate to reach out. Over the
semester I have been fortunate enough to not only get to know Steven as a person but
also as a professional in the workplace and someone I greatly look up to. My first
meeting with Steven was through email where I sent over the goals I had created for
myself and we went back and forth discussing them. The next encounter we had was a
long phone call about my goals, advice he could give me, and stories about his career
ladder. One of the biggest things I wanted to get from Steven being my mentor was how
he became so successful and remained happy as an individual. I believe that is one of
the biggest struggles I notice in high-level positions and my ultimate goal is to be in that
type of position so I wanted to know what he does to be in a good mindset. During our
phone call, Steven recognized one of my goals, which was “I want to leave every
workday satisfied and happy about my job. I would be content knowing that I took part in
helping better my place of work. I would also feel great sense of accomplishment
knowing my contribution helped make the business more successful”. This is what led
him into the conversation about being able to maintain happiness and success. Steven
has worked for Hilton and Caesars for 33 years, retired to do pro bono work for minority
businesses, and then went back to work for Diamond Resorts because he missed the
industry so much. Being so fortunate to obtain high-level positions was tough at times
on his marriage when he had to work crazy hours. The lesson of the story being one of
the most important things is to balance work and life because you don’t live to work you
work to live. As long as you prioritize things, manage your schedule, and choose to be
happy, success will come your way. Steven helped me realize that things are not
always going to be easy especially with the goal I have to leave every workday happy
but that I will always be able to get through it. I plan to keep in touch with Steven and
get together with him to thank him over the winter break. He said to keep in touch with
him if I ever need a job or anything else therefore I plan to keep reaching out to him as
my mentor.
My next professional mentor was Matt Greene who is the General Manager of
the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. I located Matt through LinkedIn and when asking him
to be my mentor he was so excited to do it. Matt and I were in touch via email, text
message, and in person. When meeting with Matt on October 31 st, 2017 we sat down
for breakfast at MaryJanes restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel. I had my goals printed
out on a sheet of paper and some other specific questions I wanted to bring up since he
had my ultimate dream job. When discussing my goals his first reaction was not what I
was expecting; instead of supporting my goals like Steven had done he immediately
said “I’m a realist and want to give you reality on these goals”. At first I was brought
down by his comments but soon it changed my perspective on everything in a positive
way. He stated my goals were great things to strive for but to understand that it
physically isn’t possible to leave every work day satisfied or happy; things come up or
happen that are out of our control that can make us upset or stressed. It is all about
ways to deal with this anger or stress that make experiences productive and positive in
the end. The lesson I learned from this is that we can set goals but it is important to
make them realistic. Following our goals conversation, Matt and I discussed how he
was able to be so successful in the hospitality industry starting from the bottom of the
career ladder to the top. The biggest thing I took away from his touching story was that
passion, drive, and the urge to succeed is the only thing that will get you places not only
in the industry but also in life. People notice hard work and are willing to hire based on
that more than experience. Our breakfast concluded with such an amazing conversation
about me reaching out to him about a front desk job for HTM 398 which I am taking next
semester; he was able to set an interview up and I am now hoping I got the job! It was a
great experience to me that I was able to find a mentor who I connected so well with
that might be a manager of mine someday.
My personal mentor was my father, Richard Schwartz, is a Radiologist working in
Las Vegas, Nevada. I have always looked up to my dad due to his hard work and
dedication throughout his life to get to where he is today. With my dad being my
personal mentor, we were able to set times aside to discuss my goals and aspirations
on Facetime, but the time where I didn’t have specific thought out “mentor” questions for
him were the times I learned the most. When discussing my goals my dad was able to
give me advice on how if he translated those same goals into his career how he would
be successful and then showed me ways I can make them happen. This was helpful to
prove to me I physically could execute them. But it was the times I called him stressed
about a silly assignment, worried about a test grade, and sad about how busy I am was
when I learned more life lessons that I will carry with me through my career. The words
and support that he comforted me with such as “the silly assignments are only there to
weed people out the ones who will fight for the A and the ones who don’t care because
they think its silly” have made me realize that being busy and completing silly
assignments is okay because it will all pay off in the end. Choosing my father as my
mentor was not only a special thing for the both of us but also was an eye opening
experience because it reminded me of the constant support he gives me and how much
he believes in me. I feel excited and motivated to keep going to make the both of us
proud knowing I will always have him to help me.
Overall, I feel really proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone in regards
to the mentor network assignment. Each mentor I have chosen has influenced and
inspired me to work hard, be passionate, and motivated me to be successful.
Throughout the rest of my college career and into my professional career I will keep in
touch with each of them as a support system.