Barth, Brumfield among 55 North American Tourism Cares scholarship recipients

Niagara University students Nicholas Barth and Christine Brumfield have been awarded academic scholarships from Tourism Cares, the tourism industry's premier charitable organization for preservation, conservation, restoration and education.

Barth, a senior from Corfu, is a hotel and restaurant management major, while Brumfield is a Rochester native entering her final year in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management's tourism and recreation management program.

Only 55 North American students studying travel, tourism and hospitality received merit-based awards, which are determined by a committee comprised of international travel, tourism and hospitality educators and professionals. The scholarships, funded by the American Society of Travel Agents, the International Airlines Travel Agent Network and the National Tour Association, range from $1,000 to $5,000 apiece.

Barth was presented with the IATAN Ronald A. Santana Memorial Scholarship, while Brumfield took home the NTA New York Scholarship. Each comes with a $1,000 award.

In addition to the monetary awards, the academic scholarship recipients are also invited to attend the Tourism Cares Mentoring Program at the NTA/UMA Convention. This gives them an opportunity to shadow professionals from different sectors of the tourism industry and also attend a roundtable to learn and about various career paths and network.

In the past eight years, Tourism Cares has provided 495 students with scholarships totaling $662,210 and endowments valued at $1.7 million.

To learn more about Niagara University's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, call 716-286-8279 or visit www.niagara.edu/hospitality.