Katherine Brumley

Kensie Poor

Katherine Brumley
Submitted Photo

The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel catalyzes Hospitality and Food Management Industry students to engage in career-building experiential learning in multiple departments under one roof.

Katherine Brumley is one of those HFIM students benefiting from rotational internships in Food & Beverage, Sales & Event Management, and throughout the hotel. She is a Double Dawg, earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees in agriculture business simultaneously, and completed her Georgia Center SEM internship this fall.

“The Georgia Center is the perfect balanced work environment for students like me to experience the industry and see what goes on behind the scenes. You can’t learn how to collaborate or gain guidance on the job from a textbook or sitting in a classroom” says Brumley.

Growing up in southern California in the Newport Beach area, she was immersed in this industry through her father’s event hospitality company and is following in his footsteps with her education at UGA. Set to graduate in May, she begins research for her master’s degree focusing on food waste demographics. The Georgia Center continues to support this research providing her with ample food and beverage analytics. She envisions a future career where she can leverage this research with an impactful tie to improving hospitality management.

“We [HFIM students] are so fortunate to have an institution like the Georgia Center right here on campus where we can experience hotel management, sales practices, event execution, food services, and most importantly, how they all overlap and work together to provide guests with pleasant and memorable experiences. It’s a really special place that provides us with a real sense of community,” says Brumley.

Through her Sales & Event Management internship internship, Katherine was surprised by the vastly different types of people who frequent the Georgia Center and its services. This taught her the importance of catering to guests’ needs and understanding the value of operating with keen attention to detail. She learned that this industry is about people and fully investing in the human condition through service.

She looks forward to a bright future, traveling abroad, continuing to learn how to cook and bake, and enjoys spending time with her large family back home in California.