Seven undergraduate students earn scholarships from The Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City Education Foundation

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020

OLATHE — Seven undergraduate students in the hospitality management programs at Kansas State University's Olathe and Manhattan campuses are receiving scholarships from Kansas City businesses to support their studies.

Six of the recipients are in the hospitality management bachelor's degree completion program at the K-State Olathe campus and one student is in the traditional 4-year bachelor's degree program at the Manhattan campus.

Each of the $2,000 scholarships are from The Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City Education Foundation and the Kansas State University partnership. Association members are local hotels in the Greater Kansas City metro that support the education of current and future leaders through scholarships and continuing education.

"The scholarship from The Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City Education Foundation is a great honor," said James Pratt, sophomore in the Olathe program. "To me, the hospitality industry is about innovation and growth and this scholarship will help to realize my own growth and development."

All of the students in Olathe's hospitality management bachelor's degree program are non-traditional students, meaning they did not graduate from high school and then enroll at a four-year university. Most have full-time or part-time careers in addition to pursuing a bachelor's degree. Others have children, come from a community college or are first-generation college students.

"Because our students do have that non-traditional background of balancing a full-time job and/or raising children while completing their degree, this scholarship goes a long way toward making it possible for them to finish what they started," said Brett Horton, professor of practice at K-State Olathe's hospitality management program. "I'm extremely proud of each student and the obstacles many are navigating in their journey to pursue their bachelor's degree. I'm also extremely grateful to Greater Kansas City's hospitality industry for supporting my students with scholarships, continuous encouragement and willingness to accommodate the once weekly class schedule."

Hospitality management students receiving the scholarships are:

• Celeste Buchanan, senior, Olathe campus;

• Don Gates, senior, Olathe campus;

• Myron Peterson, senior, Olathe campus;

• James Pratt, sophomore, Olathe campus;

• Riley Seuser, junior, Manhattan campus;

• Jared Schoeneberg, junior, Olathe campus;

• Chrissy Zemencik, senior, Olathe campus.

Olathe's hospitality program continues to grow and thrive. The bachelor's degree completion program offers metro-based working professionals the opportunity to live, work and earn their bachelor's degree in KC.

Learn more about Olathe's B.S. in Hospitality Management degree completion program at olathe.k-state.edu/hospitality and about Manhattan's B.S. in Hospitality Management program at https://www.hhs.k-state.edu/hm/.