M.S. in Event Tourism

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

I went to IUPUI for my undergraduate, because I lived close-by. When I was considering graduate school, I didn’t think twice to go anywhere else. I loved the PETM program and the professors.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

The two biggest accomplishments through IUPUI was the jobs that I was offered and graduating with my Bachelors degree in Tourism, Conventions and Event Management in 2015.

Through the graduate school in PETM, I was offered two amazing jobs; the first was an events intern for the Bicentennial Torch Relay. I assisted in the planning of the event and then spent 37 days driving to all 92 counties in Indiana. Secondly, I am currently working as the events intern at Downtown Indy. I am working on the smaller-scale events that happen on the canal, Monument Circle and Georgia Street.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

The longer I am here, the more I realize how much Indianapolis has to offer. Indy is a perfect mix of a metropolitan downtown with small-town values. You don’t meet nicer people anywhere else. I am also learning that even though Indy can seem large to some people, the business and event world is small. This makes even the big industries feel connected, as though we are all one big Indy family.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

I worked for a summer and semester with the Office of Indiana Tourism on the Bicentennial Torch Relay. This was my first experience working with events. With a Tourism and Events Bachelors degree, I loved working with them first-hand. Now, with Downtown Indy, I am able to fully understand what a conventional event looks like. I feel that these jobs have been what I have spent the past 7 years studying for. The other activity that I engage in at IUPUI is assisting professors with lectures. I come in as a guest speaker around three times a semester to lecture about the Disney College Program.