Looking Ahead with AEF

Congratulations to the Class of 2022! As the school year ends, AEF reflects on the time spent with our Academy of Hospitality and Tourism and Culinary Arts students.

• Through our partnership with the Willard InterContinental Hotel, our Culinary Arts students created holiday gingerbread masterpieces.
• Celebrating the return of field trips, we supported student visits to the Canopy by Hilton Washington DC/the Wharf, Enchant Christmas, Ben’s Chili Bowl, Washington Auto Show and more.
• Connecting students to speakers in the sports industry, we discussed with leaders in the Atlantic 10 Conference what steps they took to prepare for a career in sports.
• In-person internships returned! Thank you to our hotel partners: the AC Hotel Washington DC Downtown, Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, and Hyatt Place National Mall, for creating meaningful workplace experiences for Career Bridge students.
• AEF has reached $100,000 awarded in scholarships since 2015. Read on to the meet the 2022 scholarship recipients.

This summer is busy for AEF. We look forward to welcoming and introducing you to our Career Ready Interns as they explore sustainability and equity in the hospitality industry, supporting educators through career and technical education training and other programs and events that highlight how AEF continues to bridge the gap for work-based learning. We look forward to sharing these experiences and more with you.

We want to thank educators across the city for the work they do every day to support these young scholars. 

If you want to support AEF this summer, please consider donating or inviting students to visit your business. Thank you!

Congratulations to the 2022 AEF Scholarship Winners!

This year we awarded eight scholarships to students pursuing higher education. The scholarships support students in Washington, DC’s four Academies of Hospitality and Tourism, two Academies of Culinary Arts and Academy alumni in higher education. Their accolades include academic achievement, leadership and service to their community.

Antonio Newton, one of this year's AEF scholarship recipients from Maya Angelou Public Charter School ’22, will be attending Morgan State University in Baltimore and said, “I'm grateful and overjoyed to be awarded this scholarship. It will help lessen the financial burden as I begin my academic journey as a college student."

Meet each of our eight our scholars and learn more about their college journeys. 

The AEF Student Advisory Board is a committee of students representing the voice of our current students and alumni of the Academies of Hospitality & Tourism and Culinary Arts.

Since September 2021, seven committee members have been focused on creating career development and networking opportunities for alumni. They have outlined several goals during their terms. They include an action plan for student engagement on LinkedIn, creating a bimonthly alumni newsletter including peer interviews, providing helpful tips to combat stress and other challenges, and creating an annual event at the end of the school year to network with alumni.

Our committee is represented by: 

Co-chairs: Zoe Roberts, Cayla Lewis

Committee Members: Anura Sharma, JP Roberts, Lauren Brown, Nana Sissoko, Diamond Myles

Know an Academy alum with leadership skills to contribute to the Board? Get them in touch with Lisa Waldschmitt.

Check out articles written by our advisory board members from the inaugural AEF Alumni newsletter!

After 25 years at Jackson-Reed [formerly Wilson] High School, our good friend Alex Wilson, Director of the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism, is retiring at the end of this school year. On behalf of everyone at AEF and Destination DC, we wish Alex a happy, relaxing, and very well-deserved retirement. 

Hear from Alex about his commitment to young people in the city of DC. 

Save the date this summer to support AEF through an incredible celebration!

You’ll enjoy a perfect view of the fireworks, meet our 2022 scholarship winners and engage with leaders from the hospitality and tourism industry and the meeting planning sector.

The event is fun for the whole family.

Watch AEF scholarship recipients Makayla Cruz, Britney Rivera-Martinez, and Deranique Graydon as they share how the scholarships impacted their college and career journey. Donate to the AEF Scholarship Fund to invest in the next generation of hospitality and tourism leaders.

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