In Trina White's Tourism and Hospitality Management classroom at Royal Roads University, the interaction between the real world and academia helps her students learn and lead.
White , associate faculty member, teaches courses on sustainability and leading-edge tourism and hospitality trends. She's also general manager of the Parkside Hotel and Spa in Victoria, BC and frequently uses her experiences there, and in the Greater Victoria tourism community, as tools in her instruction.
For her work employing real world problems to bolster her teaching, the passionate instructor is the recipient of the 2025 Kelly Outstanding Teaching Award.
Unexpected journeys
White says neither teaching nor working in hospitality were her long-term goals as a young person forestry, silviculture and reforestation were her targets but she discovered working in hotels provided a chance to blend her interest in business with her passion for the environment and sustainability. And after completing a Master of Arts in Tourism Management at RRU to help her hospitality career prospects, she was invited to teach.
That was 13 years ago and she has integrated her two work lives for the benefit of students.
Sustainability works
For instance, a couple of years ago, Destination Greater Victoria (where she is now vice-chair) was working toward sustainability certifications for all its member businesses. White used that challenge as a teaching tool, assigning a project in which students examined various international certifications for the tourism industry to determine which was best and the tourism organization eventually followed their recommendation.
"My passion lies in teaching sustainability. Businesses, in particular, have a responsibility to re-evaluate and transform their practices in response to the realities of climate change," White says.
This work goes beyond the basics of hospitality and tourism. "When they come to me, we're looking at frameworks," White explains.
Teaching these higher-level concepts requires White to slow down. "In my earlier years of management, I moved very fast. But when you're teaching, you can't move fast. You've got to stop and make sure that everybody's with you each step."
The Kelly Awards selection committee commended that approach and the support White offers students both inside, and outside, the classroom, and noted that she is educating students to be leaders in the tourism industry.
Says White: "My goal as an educator is to inspire students to be curious about the world around them, to ask thoughtful questions and develop the ability to think independently."
About the Kelly Awards
The Kelly Outstanding Teaching Awards recognize core and associate faculty members and Continuing Studies facilitators who are representative of outstanding teaching at Royal Roads. They were created in recognition of Dr. Gerald O. Kelly, RRU's first installed president, and honour teachers who promote the university's learner-centred philosophy while making positive contributions to teaching excellence.
The Kelly Outstanding Teaching Awards are open to all Royal Roads University faculty members who are actively engaged in teaching for-credit or non-credit courses at RRU. A call for nominations is sent out each spring to faculty, staff, and students. Learn more about the awards and see past recipients.
Learn more about Tourism and Hospitality Management at RRU.
