NIAGARA COLLEGE
Hospitality 'underdogs' earn spot as finalist among American universities in international competition

Sometimes, the underdog runs ahead of the pack.

On Nov. 10, five hospitality students in NC's Honours Bachelor of Business Administration - Hospitality program won fourth place out of 26 undergraduate teams at the Smith Travel Research Student Market Study Competition in NYC. Pictured from left to right on the winners podium: professor Adam Weaver, Montana Marges, Benjamin Streef, Minglu Sun, Erin Shoemaker, professor Paul Willie, Arnav Gupta, and professor Heather Clark.
 

Students in Niagara College's Honours Bachelor of Business Administration - Hospitality program were right behind the likes of Michigan State University, California State Polytechnic University, and Virginia Tech on November 10 when they won fourth place in an international market study competition in New York City.

The NC team, made up of five Hospitality degree program students who self-describe as "underdogs," impressed judges at the Smith Travel Research (STR) Student Market Study Competition. They became the top-placing Canadian college among 26 undergraduate teams from across North America and Asia.

Damian Goulbourne, associate dean of School of Applied Business and Tourism, noted that the NC team's ranking is a testament to the quality of education offered at Niagara College.

"Niagara College's School of Hospitality and Sport is proud of our students and their exceptional finish in this international competition," said Goulbourne. "Their ranking among universities with global reputations for hospitality and tourism solidifies the place of our degree program among them. It demonstrates that our students can not only compete with students at top-tier, research-intensive universities - they can win."

"I feel proud of my team for representing our small Canadian college so well and standing out," said Erin Shoemaker, second-year Hospitality student, part of the College's first team to enter the STR competition. "We were up against some really well-known, accomplished universities."

During the competition, NC students presented their market analysis on the city of Buffalo, strategically selected for its proximity to Niagara.

"We felt, as Canadians, we would have a unique, outside perspective on this American city," said third-year student Arnav Gupta.

The NC team presented the findings from their data analysis, including main clusters, trends, opportunities and market challenges, and successfully advanced to the final round of the competition where they presented once more and earned fourth place out of six finalists.

Third-year student Montana Marges described the moment she learned the NC team had placed in the top six of 26 schools.

"In that moment it felt like we won. Looking at my teammates and faculty coaches, I could see the pride and excitement in all of our expressions. It was a moment I will never forget," said Marges. "Our success in the competition is proof of the quality of education we are receiving at Niagara College. Knowing that we as a Canadian college were able to stand as equals among strong American universities is a great feeling."

NC professors Adam Weaver, Paul Willie and Heather Clark, coached the students through the weeks of preparation leading up to the competition.

"Our students performed incredibly well at the competition and this really is a coming of age for us as a degree program," said Weaver.

The students praised their faculty coaches.

"I feel very thankful for the support our team had from our professors. They were alongside us in the long hours of crunching numbers and polishing slides, teaching and guiding us in the direction of success," said Shoemaker. "The effort Niagara College faculty invest in their students is something to be very grateful for."