AH&LEF Awards Six AmEx Scholarships

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Six American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) member property employees recently received $2,000 American Express Scholarships for the 2002-2003 academic year. This American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) program is exclusively for association members and their dependents who are pursuing undergraduate hospitality management degrees or enhancing their professional development through certification courses offered by the association. The AH&LEF-administered program was founded in 1993 with a $250,000 American Express gift to encourage lodging employees to continue their educational endeavors. To date, the program has awarded $114,000 in academic scholarships. This years winners of the national competition for academic scholarships are George Babineau, Johnson & Wales Inn (Seekonk, MA); Melody Hirschorn, The Holiday Inn (Rockville Centre, NY); Megan Holland, Creative Hotel Associates (Rockville, MD); Yanan Liu, La Casa Del Zorro Desert Resort (Borrego Springs, CA); Tony Pupillo, Hyatt Regency Woodfield, (Schaumburg, IL); and Bhavin Vivek, Days Inns (Greenville, SC). Several winners also were awarded professional development distance learning scholarships, for which funds are still available. The application deadline is quarterly, with the next date set for October 1, 2002. The scholarships are intended to cover tuition expenses for distance learning courses and professional certification.