William Trotman

Kelly Simmons

Trotman, from Morrisville, NC, gains firsthand experience in customer service.
Submitted photo

William Trotman enjoys data analytics. But he also appreciates nice hotels and restaurants.

His first internship with the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel allowed him to marry the two interests.

As a second year student pursuing degrees in Hospitality and Food Industry Management (HFIM) and Management Information Systems (MIS), Trotman had an internship in Human Resources at the on-campus hotel and conference center, where students in the UGA HFIM program get much of their hands on experience.
His job involved reviewing the center’s old computer database to determine what information needed to be imported into a new system, which manages data on current and former Georgia Center employees.

When he finished that project, he was recruited for a data research project to determine whether a special event would affect hotel occupancy in a city. Data from event ticket sales and hotel occupancy on the dates of the event showed a direct relationship between the two. Trotman presented his findings at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end the spring semester.

“It was a great way to combine these two interests of mine,” says Trotman.
By working at the center, Trotman also made connections with other students in the program outside of HFIM classes, he says.

“I feel like my MIS is teaching me more hard skills,” he says. “Hospitality is giving me insight into working with people.”

When he completes his degrees—a BBA in Management Information Systems from the Terry College of Business and a BA in HFIM—Trotman hopes to find a job in data management with a major hotel or restaurant chain.

The Georgia Center was definitely an important stepping stone. It’s really nice to get that firsthand experience on my resume.