Tourism Partners

Tourism Scholarship Winner

Scholarship Overview:
To recognize the ambition, dedication and success of one student pursuing a degree in Tourism Management and seeking a professional career in the tourism industry, VISITHATTIESBURG™ has established a Tourism Achievement Scholarship to be awarded annually. The selection of the scholarship recipient will be made by VISITHATTIESBURG™ and based upon the criteria outlined below.

Scholarship Criteria:
VISITHATTIESBURG™ will select a recipient for the Tourism Achievement Scholarship based upon the following criteria:

1. The scholarship recipient must be enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus.
2. The scholarship recipient must have declared Tourism Management as their major for at least one full school year.
3. The scholarship will be awarded at the conclusion of the Spring Semester to a student who will be an incoming Sophomore, Junior or Senior in the subsequent Fall Semester. Freshmen and graduating Seniors are excluded from application for the scholarship.
4. The scholarship recipient must hold an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
5. Preference will be shown to applicants currently employed in the tourism industry (i.e. hotel, restaurant, etc.).
6. Preference will be shown to applicants demonstrating leadership in their declared major of Tourism Management (i.e. active participation in annual tourism fundraiser, student member of PCMA, IAAM, MPI, ISES, etc.).
7. Advisement from the faculty of the Department of Tourism Management will be taken into consideration.

At the 2008 Tourism Partners Luncheon, held during National Tourism Week, VISITHATTIESBURG™ announced its very first Tourism Achievement Scholarship winner. To be eligible for this scholarship, a student enrolled on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi must be a sophomore or junior with a declared major in Tourism Management and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, preference is shown to applicants demonstrating leadership in the Tourism Management program, as well as, to applicants working in the tourism & hospitality industry. Our winner met all of the above.

A junior Tourism Management Major, Mary Katherine Gwin has been on the Dean’s or President’s list every semester at the University of Southern Mississippi and is also a Leadership Scholar. In addition, she has been recognized as Outstanding Freshman Female, the Emerging Hospitality and Tourism Management Scholar, and the Outstanding Junior in the Tourism Department. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Pi, an international professional business fraternity.

Also, building the experience on her resume, Mary Katherine has also worked at a Bed and Breakfast, a catering company and most recently at the newly opened Hilton Garden Inn of Hattiesburg. Recently, she also completed her summer internship at the Grand Marriott Resort in Point Clear, AL.