As the American Hospitality Academy (AHA) celebrated earlier this year its first decade after having expanded in Philippine borders in 2013, Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) continues to partner with the world hospitality leader in its quest in producing globally equipped talents in the competitive hospitality industry.
Read more: Another Eureka Moment for CHIM as it literally Goes AHA!
Arranged by the College of Hospitality and Institutional Management (CHIM) on 01 August 2023, the “Home of the Topnotchers” and AHA put a total of 369 graduates through the fourth conferment ceremony at the Assembly Hall, RISE Tower.
The number comprised a total of 200 passers under the Hospitality Management program and 169 passers under the Tourism Management program.
This simply means that aside from their undergraduate citation, they also now have a second diploma either in International Hospitality Leadership or in Multicultural Tourism Studies – a dual diploma academic grant made possible by the decade-long partnership between OLFU and AHA.
Talking about the budding contribution of the conferment in OLFU’s deliberate internationalization efforts, CHIM Coordinator for OLFU – Cabanatuan Campus Celso Dela Cruz plainly described the affair as a “distinction” of the college, and an “edge” every student under CHIM will take pride in.
Dela Cruz added that while taking AHA courses was originally optional, the move to require CHIM learners to mandatorily absorb the program only underpinned the advanced vision of the college, especially telling today that the programs hold international weight no less.
In an interview with Dr. Corazon Gatchalian, AHA representative for institutional partnership, she confidently claimed that OLFU’s reliable higher education complements AHA’s global training approach that fosters and invests in the employability of the aspiring hospitality workforce.
“It has been written time and again, it has been brought up that in schools and universities there’s a great emphasis on hard skills. In the process of giving emphasis to the hard skills, naiiwan ‘yung soft skills [It has been written time and again, it has been brought up that in schools and universities [that] there’s a great emphasis on hard skills. In the process of giving emphasis to the hard skills, soft skills are left behind],” articulated Gatchalian as she stressed that soft skills are, in fact, the employability skills that are important to make the hard skills work.
Specializing on the enhancement of soft skills with instructions and references created to cater to the global setup, AHA internationalizes CHIM’s dependable programs, added Gatchalian who is also a former University of the Philippines (UP) hospitality professor.
In the same conferment rite, OLFU hailed yet another feat in this venture with six overall topnotchers who exceptionally performed in the AHA World Campus comprehensive examination including Tobby Bernardo, Diploma in International Hospitality Leadership – Rank 12; Dr. Iqhbal Firmansyah Farduos and Joerelyn Evangelista, Diploma in Multicultural Tourism Studies – Rank 12; Denise Joyce Tubig, Diploma in Multicultural Tourism Studies – Rank 6; Shaira Monique Buenaflor, Diploma in International Hospitality Leadership – Rank 6; and Selyn Demition, Diploma in Multicultural Tourism Studies – Rank 1.
In attendance was the proud Dean of CHIM, Ignacio Cordova Jr. who formally conferred diplomas on the completers, along with AHA representative Gatchalian.
Witnessing the academic milestone of the latest CHIM aces was licensed real estate broker and director for Marketing at Winford Casino Manila Sharon Ann San Pedro who also shared her working ethos from her twenty years of intensive marketing and sales exposure in the Philippines and the United States.
San Pedro related to the ceremony’s theme “Crossing Cultures, Shaping Tomorrow: Recognizing International Achievement,” which for her, “perfectly captures the spirit” of the conferment.
“The students we honor today had not only excelled in their academic pursuits but had also embraced the challenged of engaging by the diverse range of cultures and experiences,” said San Pedro while echoing the importance of being able to work effectively across cultures and borders, as global citizens.
“I encourage you to be proud of everything that you have achieved to this day. I encourage you to continue to embrace the spirit of internationalization that has brought you to this point. The world is waiting for you and I have no doubt that you will make a real difference in the industry,” she further pronounced.
The OLFU-AHA conferment was established in 2018.
