Action Items

• Get Involved and secure your tickets for the annual AEF July 4th VIP Celebration with the best view of sparkling fireworks.
  
  
• Watch AEF students from six DC high schools explore New York City hospitality.
  
  
• Get ready for scholarship season. AEF partners with DC hospitality organizations to promote scholarship and training opportunities for future leaders.

AEF explored the Big Apple with 55 students and educators from DC's Academies of Hospitality & Tourism, Culinary Arts and Mass Media.

Students learned about hospitality industry careers and heard personal stories from professionals.

Thank you to our NYC field trip partners:

• New York Marriott Marquis and the Park Hyatt New York –These hotel tours allowed students to compare and contrast NYC’s signature properties.
• SUMMIT One Vanderbilt – Leaders from this immersive destination in the sky shared career tips before students rocketed up 93 floors to experience it themselves. 
• Big Bus – Shared the sites and importance of sightseeing attraction operators.

Thank you also to the Pod Hotel Times Square, Red Rooster Harlem and the Apollo Theater.

It is the 10^th anniversary of the AEF Scholarship Program. Since 2014, AEF has awarded over $130,000 in scholarships to Washington, DC students demonstrating success, leadership and service in their communities.

Donate to the AEF Scholarship Fund before the 2024 award announcements on May 17.

This May, AEF is proud to partner with several hospitality organizations across the city that offer scholarships for students, alumni and current hospitality professionals.

Save the date for May 29. Join us from 5-7 p.m. at the Westin Washington, DC City Center for an evening to celebrate future hospitality leaders. During this inaugural event, we'll announce the 2024 scholarship recipients from Educated Eats, the Washington Area Concierge Association and the Washington Hospitality Foundation. 

Last fall, DC lost an important member of our community, Joe Shymanski. Joe was a beloved photographer and artist by trade and also a teacher and mentor.

To honor his legacy, AEF established a scholarship memorial fund to support high school students studying photography. His business partner, Alton McDougle, looks forward to supporting mass media scholars interested in photography and entrepreneurship. 

Mass Media students attended the 32^nd Annual Watkins Award Gala honoring the nation’s top African American male high school scholars and athletes. The Coolidge Mass Media Network took to the red carpet to meet with and interview notable athletes and attendees.

Join AEF for the annual VIP rooftop celebration on July 4th from 7-10 p.m. at the American Pharmacists Association. Your ticket supports scholarships for DC high school students.

• Enjoy great food, drinks and family-friendly fun
• Experience DC’s spectacular fireworks from a private rooftop
• Sponsor the event to show your company’s support

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