Last week, we here at HerCampus IUP informed you that a Distinguished IUP Alum would be visiting campus to give a presentation on the Hospitality Management industry, and last Wednesday was the big night. Mr. Tom Gathers, an IUP graduate in 1977, discussed his career and provided tips on how to reach success, no matter what industry you might work in. The event was held in Eberly Auditorium, and was open to the public.
The presentation was inspired by a letter Mr. Gathers wrote to his own daughter, Kate (hence the title), once she graduated from college and began to work in, you guessed it, the Hospitality Management industry. In the letter, Gathers tried to instill in Kate some of the qualities and knowledge that he has seen lead to success in his over 35 years of experience. While Mr. Gathers joked about Kate not taking his advice simply because he was her father, it was clear to anyone in the room that the crowd was eating up every word the humorous Mr. Gathers had to say.
The hour long presentation was filled with bullet points of what Mr. Gathers believes to be the most important qualities that one can have when starting out as a young professional. Those bullet points:
· Act Like a Professional
· Work Hard
· Learn All You Can
· Set Goals
· Learn to Manage People
· Catch ‘em Doing Something Right
· Learn to Deal with Difficult People
· Learn from Mistakes
· Don’t Whine (Especially on Facebook)
· Believe in Yourself
