Quarterly News & Updates

September 2023

TSLF 40 Futures Initiative Program sessions will resume in 2024

The program, a soft skills training program for high school youth, will be offered to up to 20 high school students per year during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year. Applicants must be currently working in the hospitality industry and meet eligibility guidelines. For more information about the program or to apply, contact Mary German, mary@travelandsportslegacyfoundation.org. This program is being sponsored by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the Holloway Family Foundation, and the Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation.

TSLF Hosts Local Educators for a Hospitality & Sports Opportunities Forum

TSLF held a Hospitality & Sports Opportunities Forum recently at Choctaw Stadium. Thirty (30) Arlington educators and a representative from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County attended the full-day event.

The program included panel discussions about future tourism development in Arlington, tourism and sports management job opportunities, hospitality and sports management higher education programs, and the impact of tourism on our economy.

Through its programs, TSLF connects the community, educators, and students with industry employers. Session panelists included representatives from the Arlington CVB, Texas Rangers, Texas Live!, Loews Hotels, Optic Gaming, Legends Hospitality, REV Entertainment, Arlington Sports Commission, Tarrant County College, and the University of Texas at Arlington. Also included in the program were tours of the District (formerly the Entertainment District), the National Medal of Honor Museum Preview Center, Texas Live!, and Globe Life Field.

TSLF received overwhelmingly positive feedback from educators.

TSLF Commissions CNM to Conduct a Focus Group Study

TSLF will conduct a focus group study in the fall of 2023 to determine the community's perception of tourism jobs and careers. TSLF is working with CNM (the Center for Nonprofit Management) to conduct several focus groups. Area educators and students will be invited to participate in the study. The report's findings will be available in the spring of 2024.

TSLF Guest Speakers Program

TSLF will launch a guest speakers program in October. The program will connect educators and students with industry professionals who will speak to students about travel and tourism and sports management careers. To schedule a speaker, contact Veronica Palacios, veronica@arlington.org.

Veronica Palacios joins TSLF as an Executive Administrative Assistant/Program Coordinator.

Veronica has 17 years’ experience as an Executive Administrative Assistant and Administrative Assistant. She will assist in the coordination of the Industry Mentoring Program and the Guest Speakers Program.

She is excited to be a part of the vision of TSLF and to see the lives of our communities’ youth changed for the better with the programs and scholarships that TSLF offers. Before coming to TSLF, she held administrative positions at Trinity Metro, the Boys & Girls Clubs, and the United Way.

TSLF Past Scholarship Recipient is Named the General Manager at the Homewood Suites Arlington Hotel in South Arlington.

Mark Amin, TSLF TCC 2020-21 scholarship recipient is named the general manager of the Homewood Suites Arlington Hotel in south Arlington. He is a 2021 TCC Culinary Arts program honors graduate. His experience includes serving as a hotel general manager at hotels in Texarkana and Las Colinas. He continues to support TCC and will teach classes as an adjunct professor this fall. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Karachi University prior to attending TCC. He credits much of his recent success to TSLF’s Milestones Mentoring Program and the program’s mentors. “The road to success doesn’t have arrows and signs,” says Amin, as he spoke freely about the impact that the TSLF mentors have had on his life and career pathway. His pathway to success is a testament to his work experience and TSLF’s mentoring program.

TSLF partners with Tarrant County College to sponsor a Hospitality Cohort Program for Beverage Management Students (Mixology)

In partnership with Tarrant County College, the Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation has developed a cohort training program for students interested in careers in beverage management and culinary arts. The cohort program classes will begin in January 2024 on the TCC Southeast Campus. The Beverage Management Program was created based on the extraordinary demand to fill hospitality positions.

The program will be offered to students from underserved communities who are 21 years of age or older and who meet TCC’s financial aid guidelines. Students will gain practical experience in hospitality, customer service, mixology, and bartending through hands-on opportunities in the classroom and a workplace environment. TSLF and TCC will identify cohort program students through collaborative support from the Center for Transforming Lives, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, and other organizations that support underserved populations in our community. Student enrollment will begin in October 2023. For more information, contact Mary German, mary@travelandsportslegacyfoundation.org.

More Info

TSLF has added a Resources Page to the website.

The page includes articles and videos about job opportunities and trends in the travel and tourism industry. Click here for the resources page. Share this information with students and colleagues as appropriate.

View Resources Page

TSLF TCC scholarship recipients will be announced on September 22nd.

Donate to TSLF and mark your calendars for North Texas Giving Day on September 21st.

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