My name is Grace Schuler, and I am a senior in Drexel University’s five-year Hospitality Management Program.

Since I was seven years old, I have been working toward my goal of opening my own event planning company after graduating from college—and I’m set to graduate next spring.

I’ve held positions in the hospitality industry since the age of 14, when I started scooping ice cream for a local gourmet chain in Maryland. I’ve since worked my way up through positions of increasing responsibility and am currently wrapping up a six-month paid internship on the event planning team at The Ritz-Carlton in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

MPI Foundation Scholarships: Moving this community and our global industry towards critical recovery.

The ability to take on internships and attend educational conferences around the U.S. would not have been possible without the three scholarships I am grateful to have received from the MPI Foundation since starting college. These scholarships included complimentary attendance to the MPI World Education Congress (WEC), the MPI/KPMG Emerging Professionals scholarship and the MPI/Maritz/Terri Breining Professional Development - Women in Leadership scholarship.

In addition to my career goals, I believe it is important to support my community. The scholarships have also allowed me to spend time on these unpaid activities, such as the free public speaking training program called Speak Out! I founded eight years ago. Through Speak Out! I have reached more than 200,000 people and have had the privilege of training more than 100 low-income middle school students to become more confident public speakers. Seven have won scholarships to the high schools of their choice as a result. Again, taking the time to focus on this and other community service work would not have been possible without the scholarships, as I would have been working to pay for my tuition instead.

I am a firm believer that anyone who meets the MPI Foundation scholarships criteria and has a community service story to tell should apply for the various scholarships each year. The scholarships are not only for those with a severe financial need, a perfect GPA or incredible academic or athletic talent. Instead, they are directed to students who have been diligently working toward their hospitality industry career goals and have also supported their community along the way.

“I am a firm believer that anyone who meets the MPI Foundation scholarships criteria and has a community service story to tell should apply for the various scholarships each year.”

There are various professional development scholarships now available through MPI, including the following.

• HMCC scholarships for planners from Destination Toronto
• Event Leadership Strategist Certificate and Inclusive Event Strategist Certificate scholarships from Discover Puerto Rico
• Inclusive Event Strategist Certificate or Women in Leadership: Executive Skills Certificate scholarships from Hyatt
• Larry Lee scholarships to attend IMEX America for students
• Various membership scholarships

To learn more about the scholarships, click here.

I am grateful for the MPI Foundation scholarships I have been awarded and offer my sincere thanks to the organization for helping me graduate without overwhelming debt. It is a gift not many working-class students are fortunate enough to receive.