A placement overseas has allowed me to build wider connections

Cheryl Ong is an alumnus from Malaysia. She graduated in 2021 from BA International Hospitality and Tourism Management and is currently waiting to join the pre-opening team and start her role in Front Office in a new Hilton Hotel.

Cheryl has taken an interest in hospitality from a young age when on travelling adventures. She wanted to study a course that would equip her with all the skills she needed to step foot in this exciting industry.

Placement

Cheryl points out how important placement year was for her development. It allowed her to work in different departments within a hotel setting and identify which area she felt most passionate about. Her aim was to a do placement abroad to gain wider perspective of different cultures.

“I reached out to the Future Plan team to run through my CV and fear of interviews. Beverly and Jemma were so supportive and encouraging. I eventually received offer following all my interviews. In the end, I chose to do my placement in The Westin HHI and The Ritz-Carlton BGn-6 months in each. My experiences in both these hotels have made me a more interesting candidate during my interviews.

“My decision to do a placement overseas has allowed me to build wider connections with the industry. Also, to learn about the different hospitality practices in other countries and cultures together with my interest in languages – all of which are deemed important within the hospitality industry – a people business.”

“My placement year was where I could learn from real hospitality practitioners and their practical experience. This is where I pushed myself to exceed expectations and be hospitable especially when things get tough and when the customers are not right. Working with different personalities, whether in a group assignment setting or in the real world, has challenged me and made me realise there are so many approaches to a single situation. To date, I cannot say that I like group assignments, but on reflection, I can appreciate that these experiences have helped enhance my team player-and leadership skills.”

Inspiration

“My 1st personal tutor throughout my first and 2nd year. My partner, Luke, throughout my placement and final year. I was really inspired by their dedication to their work and how they strive to reach their achievements. Not forgetting Yong, the university’s Malaysian representative who has always been there for me especially when I thought of giving up when I felt I couldn’t settle down during my first year. Her advice and stories have helped me and inspired me to push through. All three of them have motivated and encouraged me to persevere and push myself to reach further, especially in times I doubted myself and felt like giving up.”

Independence

“Being an international student and going to university abroad is not easy but it’s made me more independent than I’ve ever been because I had to do absolutely everything for myself. Also, coming to university in a country where I know nobody, gave me the chance to really explore and learn who I really am and how I want my life to be. So, having to juggle establishing a ‘new life’ in a new country, getting past culture shock and going through Uni and assignments where the standard is different from what I am used to, has led me to pick up different life skills, enhancing my time management skills, and social skills all at once.”

“What I enjoyed most at my time at the University was the ability to become more independent, travel and explore new places, and gain wider perspective from different cultures. The ability to explore and learn more about myself. Explore places away from home, learn to be independent and self-reliant, learn of a different culture, gain an international network. “

Employability

“Graduating with a strong 2:1 together with experience gained on my placement year has made me a more desirable candidate during interviews – hence, building my self-confidence.”

“Having people who believed in me such as some lecturers, family and friends is the driving force for my success to date.”

“My lightbulb moment is realising that I can achieve more than I think I can if I just trusted myself more. This is reflected when my tourism itinerary was selected by STA Travel when they partnered with the University for one of our tourism assignments and also when I received offers from all the companies that I have interviewed with.”

Advice

“I would tell my younger self and prospective students to believe in yourself as cliche as it sounds, because only we can control how much of ourselves, we put into doing something to achieve our goals. No one has our best interest at heart 100% except for ourselves. Secondly, to realise that opportunities are always there, but what matters is WHICH opportunities we choose that reflect the lives we want. “