The AHLA Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), awarded $1 million in scholarships to 376 students in 38 states and Washington, D.C for the 2021-2022 school year!
This year, 55 percent of the total recipients are minority students and 76 percent are female.
Each year, the Foundation administers nine scholarship programs, which award scholarships valued up to $7,500, for students enrolled in hospitality-related bachelor or graduate degree programs at colleges and universities across the US.
This year, AHLAF launched a partnership with 10 community colleges to expand its reach to hospitality associate's degree programs.
The AHLA Foundation received and evaluated nearly 1,000 applications based on academics, financial need, relevant work experience, extracurricular activities, personal attributes and a passion to pursue a career in the hotel and lodging industry. Since its founding, the Foundation has distributed more than $16 million in scholarship funds to promising hospitality management students across the nation.
Congratulations to all our 2021 scholarship recipients!
AHLAF Annual Giving Campaign Fund
| Bryan | Castaneda | Widener University-Main Campus |
| Grace | Claffey | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Shannon | Daly | Grand Valley State University |
| Samantha | DeVito | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus |
| Liza | Fox | James Madison University |
| Kylie | Freeburger | James Madison University |
| Brendan | Hancock | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Dustin | Johnson | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science |
| Sophie | Kim | Drexel University |
| Erin | Krobath | James Madison University |
| Mckenzee | Lazore | Niagara University |
| Jada | Lebell | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Cheyenne | Luckhardt | Widener University-Main Campus |
| Sophia | Poirier | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science |
| Sydney | Robertson | James Madison University |
| Grace | Schuler | Drexel University |
| Jillian | Wojtkowski | Niagara University |
| Emma | Wood | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
AHLAF Hospitality 2000 Campaign Fund
| Kaya | Dahlquist | Grand Valley State University |
| Shannon | Daly | Grand Valley State University |
| David | Reed | Ferris State University |
| Amanda | Roberts | University of Central Florida |
| Elizabeth | Rutkovsky | University of Central Florida |
| Jacob | Simone | Ferris State University |
American Express Fund
| Christian | Alexander | University of Houston |
| Hannah | Brenkacs | Niagara University |
| Benjamin | Cabrera | San Diego State University |
| Sheanejah | Crabbe | Bethune-Cookman University |
| Raven | Haney | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| John | Jones | Culinary Institute of America |
| Alexis | Keylon | Northern Arizona University |
| Se Won Erica | Lee | Georgia State University |
| America | Mason | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Ximena | Medina Villarreal | University of Houston |
| Charlsee | Parker | Washington State University |
| Lily | Payne | Michigan State University |
| Canisha | Pope | University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
| Aireal | Smith | University of West Alabama |
| Linh | Tran | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Mckenna | Voisin | Northern Arizona University |
| Chandler | Williamson | North Carolina Central University |
AHLA Foundation Fund
Four Year
| Hailee | Austin | East Carolina University |
| Mireille | Baxter | University of Denver |
| Elizabeth | Bennici | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Annamarie | Benson | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
| Julie | Blankenship | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Faith | Burke | Northwestern State University of Louisiana |
| Jacqueline | Callejo | University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| Christopher | Chellew | University of Delaware |
| Amanda | Ciarlante | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Lauren | Cybul | Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Dylan | Donnelly | North Carolina Central University |
| Taylor | Donovan | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus |
| Natalee | Dunn | Stephen F Austin State University |
| Kaira | Fuller | University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| Oscar | Grijalva Mancillas | Iowa State University |
| Solon | Hamer | Texas Tech University |
| Kaitlyn | Heintz | Florida State University |
| Michaela | Hernandez | California State University-Long Beach |
| Hannah | Hinds | University of Denver |
| Patrick | Hoyack | Northern Arizona University |
| Taylor | Irmeger | Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Alexis | Keylon | Northern Arizona University |
| Sophie | Kim | Drexel University |
| Danette | Kirby | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Jamie | Limberopoulos | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Kierra | Linden | Northwestern State University of Louisiana |
| Lindsey | Marsh | Stephen F Austin State University |
| Brianna | O'Donnell | The University of Alabama |
| Evan | Pedneault | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| John | Perez | Virginia State University |
| Kailey | Pisani | Mercyhurst University |
| Morgan | Riffel | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Daniel | Roche | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
| Lily | Rohlfing | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Gabrielle | Rosser | Virginia State University |
| Michelle | Santry | Robert Morris University |
| Helen | Shaw | The University of Alabama |
| Dylan | Silvey | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Chantel | Singleton | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Evan | Stanfield | New Mexico State University-Main Campus |
| Megan | Strader | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
| Kelly | Sun | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Emily | Toranto | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Kyram | Vann | Northern Arizona University |
| Jennifer | Warren | Washington State University |
| Kelly | Whitlock | The University of Alabama |
| Simon | Zinevich | Morgan State University |
Two Year
| Levi | Irwin | Arkansas Pulaski Tech |
| Savannah | Jones | Arkansas Pulaski Tech |
| Cleadester | Beard | Arkansas Pulaski Tech |
| Suzanne | Coburn | Arkansas Pulaski Tech |
| Gail | Anderson | Arkansas Pulaski Tech |
| Sydney | Larson | Asheville-Buncombe Tech |
| Rebecca | Dela Vega | Asheville-Buncombe Tech |
| Erica | Young | Asheville-Buncombe Tech |
| Caleb | McKee | Asheville-Buncombe Tech |
| Margaret | Crockett | Asheville-Buncombe Tech |
| Roayah | Kalantan | City College of San Francisco |
| Aina | Anglada Lopez | City College of San Francisco |
| Gizem | Gur | City College of San Francisco |
| Neida | Montoya Perez | City College of San Francisco |
| Thanh | Ton | City College of San Francisco |
| Kaleb | Simmons | Collin College |
| Christina | Reynolds | Collin College |
| Odalis | Saldana | Collin College |
| Shari | Pietsch Eberhard | Collin College |
| Arlene | Espinosa | Collin College |
| Olivia | Williams | Frederick Community College |
| Kailah | Caliskan | Frederick Community College |
| Tineke | Younger | Frederick Community College |
| David | Evans | Frederick Community College |
| Charlene | Turner | Frederick Community College |
| Destiny | Simmons | Greenville Tech |
| Devin | Modrinsky | Greenville Tech |
| Ijja | Brock | Greenville Tech |
| Rochelle | Rice | Greenville Tech |
| Lacy | Polichio | Greenville Tech |
| April | McGriff | Kirkwood Community College |
| Joseph | Flyr | Kirkwood Community College |
| Maybelle | Smith | Kirkwood Community College |
| Lauren | Kalm | Kirkwood Community College |
| Beth | Randolph | Kirkwood Community College |
| Rhiannon | Harke | Pima Community College |
| Eden | Eaton | Pima Community College |
| Michelle | Cabrera | Pima Community College |
| Amber | Reed | Pima Community College |
| Sammy | Gonzalez | Pima Community College |
| Marselina | Lopez | UDC |
| Lesley | Paz | UDC |
| Tylexes | Cabos | UDC |
| Fritza | Camille | UDC |
| Shelley | Rhodes | UDC |
| Luisana Isabel | Mavarez Chirinos | Valencia College |
| Marisol | Amaya | Valencia College |
| Kensley | Crawford | Valencia College |
| Jolene | Runyon | Valencia College |
| Cortnie | Davis | Valencia College |
Americas Lodging Investment Summit Fund
| Sofia | Acosta | University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| Parris | Adams | Northern Arizona University |
| Rachel | Balts | Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Samantha | Bentley | University of South Carolina-Columbia |
| Meagan | Butler | Nichols College |
| Natalie | Ceballos | Florida Atlantic University |
| Mara | Davis | Northern Arizona University |
| Ian | Fajl | Culinary Institute of America |
| Audrey | Hatcher | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Roxanne | Hoquee | University of South Florida-Main Campus |
| Kayla | Jenkins | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Maggie | Kaysak | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Rosa | Kim | Boston University |
| Oliviana | Kramer | Iowa State University |
| Amy | Krueger | University of Central Florida |
| Daniella | Lemerand | Ferris State University |
| Cheyenne | Luckhardt | Widener University-Main Campus |
| Danielle | Maiden | University of Florida |
| Ava | McKinney | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Molly | Mildenberger | Metropolitan State University of Denver |
| Fryda | Molina Canto | Kansas State University |
| Jordan | Montoya | Culinary Institute of America |
| Brianna | O'Donnell | The University of Alabama |
| Brielle | Ohana | Cornell University |
| Kailey | Pisani | Mercyhurst University |
| Andrew | Pitari | Northwestern State University of Louisiana |
| David | Ressman | Niagara University |
| Gabrielle | Rosser | Virginia State University |
| Hannah | Rubinstein | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus |
| Michelle | Santry | Robert Morris University |
| Dylan | Silvey | University of Missouri-Columbia |
| Hanna | Stickley | Culinary Institute of America |
| Sean | Wallace | National Louis University |
| Sarah | Warner | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus |
| Allison | Weaver | New York University |
| Catherine | Weems | Stephen F Austin State University |
| Brooke | Wilson | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science |
| Victoria | Wooten | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Carly | Zumar | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
Arthur J. Packard Memorial Scholarship
| Rachel | Exelbirt | Florida International University |
| America | Mason | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Carly | Zumar | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania |
Banks Brown Graduate Scholarship
| Jeremiah | Cribley | New York University |
| Joe | Fuentes | Florida International University |
| Erick | Harrell | DePaul University |
| Lauren | Hart | The University of Alabama |
| Alan | Martin | Culinary Institute of America |
| Helder | Serrazina | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
| Robert | Soto | Florida International University |
| John | Stanfield | The University of Alabama |
| Sherrie | Tennessee | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Diana | Vargas Barragan | Missouri State University-Springfield |
Cecil B. Day Memorial Fund
| Jason | Alberto | California State University-Long Beach |
| Hailee | Austin | East Carolina University |
| Jessica | Benson | East Carolina University |
| Diana | Cook | New Mexico State University-Main Campus |
| Emilee | Cutler | Boston University |
| Nara | Dykes | Georgia State University |
| Jocelyn | Fullman | California State University-Long Beach |
| Jabreya | Gilbert | Bethune-Cookman University |
| Tara | Hajari | Florida State University |
| Paloma | Hernandez | New Mexico State University-Main Campus |
| Samantha | Huston | Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Taylor | Irmeger | Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Rosa | Kim | Boston University |
| Nicole | Mayakis | East Carolina University |
| Jessica | Meadows | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Renata | Navarro | Florida State University |
| Grace | Prestidge | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Brennan | Quinn | Georgia State University |
| Candice | Trolli | The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College |
| Kendalyn | Vanderbeck | Purdue University-Main Campus |
| Theresa | Winkelman | Georgia State University |
Conrad N. Hilton Memorial Fund
| Andrew | Aleman | Texas Tech University |
| Christian | Alexander | University of Houston |
| German | Amigon, Jr | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Ashley | Cunningham | Missouri State University-Springfield |
| Christopher | Drake | Texas Tech University |
| Delmy | Fuentes | University of Houston |
| Adriean | Gabriel | Morgan State University |
| Sha-meriah | Gregory | University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
| Yashoda | Gurung | University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
| Raven | Haney | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Tishanna | Long-Rivera | Morgan State University |
| Beatriz | Martinez | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Drew | Minnis | Missouri State University-Springfield |
| Makenna | Price | Washington State University |
| Brianna | Robinson | Morgan State University |
| Alexa | Rodriguez | Florida International University |
| Joanne | Song | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
| Jennifer | Tabares | Florida International University |
| Hattie | Taylor | Missouri State University-Springfield |
| Ishmael | Telemaco | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
Creighton Holden Memorial Fund
| Nadia | Cismesia | Michigan State University |
Curtis C. Nelson Fund
| Steven | Dong | Cornell University |
| Jonathan | Le | Cornell University |
| Paul | Lee | Cornell University |
| Vikas | Reddy | Cornell University |
| Simon | Warfield | Cornell University |
| Daisy | Zhang | Cornell University |
Ecolab Fund
| Jeffrey | Bernstein | University of Denver |
| Giselle | Garcia | Drexel University |
| John | Jones | Culinary Institute of America |
| Jennifer | Kyler | The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College |
| Moises | Lobaton | University of Central Florida |
| America | Mason | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Charlsee | Parker | Washington State University |
| Jerrell | Parrish | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Myah | Phillips | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Daniel | Roche | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
| Elena | Sanchez | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Aireal | Smith | University of West Alabama |
| Mckenna | Voisin | Northern Arizona University |
Handlery Hotels Fund
| Shanelle | Ancheta | University of San Francisco |
| Shirley | Chan | University of San Francisco |
| Mei Jin | Chen | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Devon | Clifton | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Jocelyn | DeBacker | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Robert | Fayette | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Brooke | Geoffroy | San Diego State University |
| Lauren | Graff | San Diego State University |
| Sophia | Harris | University of San Francisco |
| Nicole | Lee | University of San Francisco |
| Keana | Nelson | San Diego State University |
| Charlotte | Randle | San Diego State University |
| Janelle Rae | Salem | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Catherine | Schmidt | San Diego State University |
| Michelle | Shintaku | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Evan | Smith | San Diego State University |
Hospitality Asset Managers Association Fund
| Madeline | Ballard | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus |
Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students
| Christian | Alexander | University of Houston |
| Benjamin | Cabrera | San Diego State University |
| Tifanny Amber | Cayading | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Yena | Choi | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Ho Hin | Chung | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Sheanejah | Crabbe | Bethune-Cookman University |
| Giselle | Garcia | Drexel University |
| Raven | Haney | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Paloma | Hernandez | New Mexico State University-Main Campus |
| Sydney | Hetherington | University of Houston |
| Alexis | Jeanjaquet | University of Houston |
| Lauren | Lloyd | DePaul University |
| Darwin | Ochoa | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Katherin | Patino | San Diego State University |
| Lily | Payne | Michigan State University |
| Caroline | Saldivar | San Diego State University |
| Kimberly | Shen | University of Houston |
| Chandler | Williamson | North Carolina Central University |
J. Willard Marriott Memorial Fund
| Tyler | Bardfeld | University of Delaware |
| Ndidiamaka | Chimah | Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Vanessa | Contreras | Culinary Institute of America |
| Mackenzie | Craft | University of Delaware |
| Lauren | Cybul | Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Charlize | Deluca | University of Delaware |
| Gretchen | McDermid | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Emily | Toranto | University of Southern Mississippi |
John Clifford Memorial Fund
| Kaley | Shriver | Florida Atlantic University |
Joseph McInerney Fund
| Clemente | Aragon | DePaul University |
| Alondra | Garcia | DePaul University |
| Gigi | Liang | DePaul University |
Karl Mehlmann Scholarship Fund
| Jeffrey | Bernstein | University of Denver |
Minaz Abji Scholarship Fund
| Giselle | Garcia | Drexel University |
National Restaurant Association Fund
| Claire | Anderson | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus |
| Cassondra | Arcuri | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science |
| Gabriella | Belanger | The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College |
| Widnie | Dorilas | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science |
| Adrian | Flores Jr | Culinary Institute of America |
| Alissa | Hutchins | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Rachel | LeVine | University of Central Florida |
| America | Mason | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| JaNae | Richie | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
New Century Fund
| Ashley | Cunningham | Missouri State University-Springfield |
| Joshua | Ford | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
| Christina | Garofalo | San Diego State University |
| Jenna | Gibbons | University of Central Florida |
| Emily | Hahn | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
| Hannah | Haught | University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
| Alyssa | Joe | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| John | Jones | Culinary Institute of America |
| Robert | Kate | Grand Valley State University |
| Jamila | Moore | Culinary Institute of America |
| Tran | Nguyen | North Carolina Central University |
| Chandler | Williamson | North Carolina Central University |
Opening Doors to Opportunity Fund
| Samuel | Baccoli | University of Central Florida |
| Shirley | Chan | University of San Francisco |
| Sheanejah | Crabbe | Bethune-Cookman University |
| Darian | Fluker | University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
| Giselle | Garcia | Drexel University |
| Brendan | Hancock | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Chloe | Kubrin | Cornell University |
| Andrea | Lobo | University of Central Florida |
| Jeromy | Marcano-Gonzalez | Georgia State University |
| America | Mason | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Evan | Nitroy | Temple University |
| Charlsee | Parker | Washington State University |
| Lucy | Piscitelli | Niagara University |
| Tia | Polite | University of Denver |
| Morgan | Riffel | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Daniel | Roche | University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
| Jocelyn | Ueng | Culinary Institute of America |
| Mckenna | Voisin | Northern Arizona University |
| Sarah | Warner | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus |
PepsiCo Foundation Scholarship
| Joshua | Jackson | New Mexico State University-Main Campus |
| John | Jones | Culinary Institute of America |
| April | McGriff | Kirkwood Community College |
| Shelley | Rhodes | University of the District of Columbia |
| Da Yea | Sue | Culinary Institute of America |
Rama Scholarship for the American Dream
| Sheanejah | Crabbe | Bethune-Cookman University |
| Mariah | Damon | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Qi (Steven) | Dong | Cornell University |
| Kevin | Giraldo | Florida International University |
| Michael | Goldwasser | University of Central Florida |
| Roger | Hoang | University of Houston |
| Jailyn | Johnson | Georgia State University |
| Jonathan | Le | Cornell University |
| Victoria | Lopez | Florida International University |
| Alice | Lu | Georgia State University |
| Albert | Marroquin | Florida International University |
| DiGray | Olcima | University of Central Florida |
| Arianna | Olivas | New York University |
| Joseph | Pagliazzo | New York University |
| Katherine | Pepitone | New York University |
| Sydney | Pickett | University of South Carolina-Columbia |
| Diego | Preciado | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Denise | Ramirez | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
| Vikas | Reddy | Cornell University |
| Zoiee | Reid | Georgia State University |
| Patricia | Rodriguez | University of Central Florida |
| Alexia | Rodríguez | Florida International University |
| Gyeong Mee | Ryou | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Kimberly | Shen | University of Houston |
| Abulfazl | Turabi | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Simon | Warfield | Cornell University |
| Tysin | Wilkins | Johnson & Wales University-Providence |
| Victoria | Wooten | Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte |
| Daniel | Yacoubian | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
Richard Kessler Fund
| Emily | Kushner | University of Central Florida |
Stephen P. Holmes Scholarship Fund
| Brendan | Hancock | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus |
| Sarah | Warner | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus |
Steve Hymans Extended Stay Fund
| Nadia | Cismesia | Michigan State University |
View our past AHLA Foundation scholarship recipients: 2020 recipients, 2019 recipients, 2018 recipients, 2017 recipients