Though Dani always knew she wanted to be in party planning and hospitality, it was not a straight path for her. She realized college wasn’t what she wanted, so she dropped out to refocus and find some work. She started her own dog walking and pet sitting service, and picked a series of jobs in retail, as a housekeeper for an apartment complex, and doing ad sales for a local newspaper. Along the way, she developed strong communication, time management, and organizational skills.

Eventually, she was hired to work at a hotel as a front desk concierge agent. Dani thrived in this role, which tapped her customer service skills and her love of hospitality. She played an integral part in the guest experience at the hotel. She says, “at this hotel, we would break our backs twice over for anybody. If you wanted it, we made it happen. No question, without a doubt, we made it happen.” This position confirmed for Dani that hospitality is where she wanted to be but she found that after some time her job wasn’t providing any opportunity for advancement. She applied for a different position at a sister hotel and was hired as a human resources coordinator. Now on the back end of the business, Dani helps support a team of almost 150 people and makes sure that they have the support they need to take care of their guests. She still gets to use her event planning skills, as she coordinates staff appreciation events and birthday and holiday celebrations. Dani feels like she’s come full circle to her original goal of working in hospitality.

Thinking about future hospitality jobs she may apply for, she says, “I’m gonna really just put faith in the fact that it will shine through on my resume and in my personality that I have work history and work experience.”