Cooking and baking have been part of my life since I could sit on the counter without falling off.
My mother, a beacon of love, celebration, comfort, and community, taught me that food is more than a necessity. It’s a tradition passed down through generations, shaping my earliest memories and laying the foundation for my path today.
I didn’t just learn recipes; I learned values: consistency, compassion, and care. These lessons inspired my passion for hospitality and motivated me to strive for excellence.
As the seventh of twelve children in a family where higher education was not guaranteed, I quickly realized that if I wanted to pursue my dreams, I had to work hard and plan early. College wasn’t handed to me; I earned it, one job and one scholarship at a time. That persistence and my deep-rooted love for serving others became my guiding compass.
I first discovered the University of North Texas (UNT) in middle school, and as I explored my options throughout high school, I kept returning to it.
UNT’s reputation for academic rigor, nationally ranked hospitality program, and deeply engaged faculty make it the perfect fit. I have since completed my undergraduate degree in hospitality management and am thrilled to begin my graduate studies at UNT, pursuing a Master’s in Hospitality Management.
Alongside my studies, I recently started working as a Food and Beverage Coordinator for Deloitte University, an industry-leading executive training center and hospitality facility. In this new role, I am learning how to manage complex guest experiences on a corporate scale — coordinating logistics, building vendor relationships, maintaining food safety standards, and supporting high-level training and events.
It’s a remarkable opportunity to learn about large-scale incentive travel operations from the inside out and see firsthand how thoughtful planning transforms a corporate environment into a learning, reward, and inspiration space.
The idea of meaningful travel has always resonated with me. I’ve been lucky to experience its impact through personal journeys that shaped my worldview and reaffirmed my career choice.
Traveling to Ireland, I was captivated by small-town kitchens’ warm, familial hospitality, where every meal felt like a homecoming.
In Japan, I discovered a deep respect for precision and mindfulness in hospitality, from traditional tea ceremonies to the hospitality embedded in everyday interactions.
Domestic trips to Oregon and New Mexico introduced me to America’s regional diversity. I experienced cultural blending in New Mexico through local cuisine and Native Peoples’ traditions.
I saw what sustainability looks like in Oregon — from farmers’ markets and wineries to eco-conscious hospitality practices.
These travel experiences didn’t just give me beautiful memories; they taught me how hospitality functions as a bridge across cultures, values, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
They also inspired the vision for my dream incentive travel program, Restoration Through Service. It combines personal reward with community uplift.
Employees or clients would travel to a location like New Mexico or Oregon, where their itinerary would include immersive cultural experiences, such as local culinary workshops or historical site visits, but also purposeful engagement, such as volunteering at a local food cooperative, assisting with sustainable farming, or teaching job skills workshops.
Each day would end with restorative activities like chef-led meals featuring local ingredients, mindfulness sessions in nature, and storytelling events with community leaders. These experiences not only celebrate excellence in the workplace but also reconnect participants with the deeper value of their work and the communities their companies can impact.
I believe the future of incentive travel lies in this kind of ethical, immersive, and emotionally meaningful approach. It’s not just about rewarding employees but about positively impacting the communities we visit.
My commitment to this vision stems from both personal experience and professional practice. I began working in the industry at 14 in my mother’s bakery, where I gradually took on more responsibilities as the business grew.
After my first year at UNT, I worked in a high-end French restaurant under the guidance of a James Beard Award finalist, where I refined my technical skills and understood what operational excellence truly looked like.
During my sophomore year, I was honored to be selected as a teaching assistant for Chef Duryea in her Professional Food Preparation Lab. Also, I began working as a junior pastry chef at Embassy Suites Denton. I collaborated with renowned industry professionals like Chef Bravo, Jeff Pritts, and Jeffery Watson, gaining invaluable insight into food and beverage operations and restaurant management.
These experiences solidified my desire to eventually open my own business, a restaurant and bakery that does more than serve great food. I want to employ individuals experiencing homelessness, teach them job and life skills, and provide a pathway to long-term stability. Our kitchen would operate sustainably, using local ingredients, minimizing food waste, and donating extra meals to those in need. I don’t just want to succeed in hospitality, I want to change lives through it.
My passion for hospitality has been tested and affirmed through adversity. In 2018, my brother was diagnosed with a rare bone tumor. The following year, my mother was in a serious car accident that forced her to close her bakery. We also lost two friends to drunk driving.
These events brought immense pain, but also clarity. I took on more responsibility at home, cared for my grandparents during the pandemic, and served as a Healthy Texas Youth Ambassador and president of my 4-H Club, all while continuing my education.
These experiences didn’t slow me down; they made me stronger, more empathetic, and more determined, which will continue to aid me as my mom starts her ongoing battle with cancer.
Throughout my journey, I’ve found inspiration and purpose within the UNT College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism. I’ve taken on leadership roles in the CMHT Leadership Academy, joined the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, and co-founded the CMHT Graduate Student Club and Lavender Leaders, an organization supporting LGBTQIA+ students in hospitality. I’ve also endorsed campus initiatives like the food pantry and gender affirmation closet, doing my part to ensure everyone feels welcome, seen, and supported.
As a graduate student and industry professional, I’m eager to explore further topics like incentive travel logistics, sustainable food systems, inclusive hospitality design, and social entrepreneurship.
SITE represents the intersection of everything I care about: service, excellence, community impact, and transformative travel. I would be honored to receive a SITE Foundation scholarship for financial support and the chance to connect with professionals as passionate about the power of hospitality as I am.
Hospitality is not just a career, it’s a calling. It invites us to meet people where they are, anticipate their needs, create joy, and foster connection. In an increasingly divided and digitized world, hospitality reminds us what it means to care, gather, and be human. Incentive travel offers a profound opportunity to recognize, reward, reconnect, reflect, and reimagine how we live and lead.
With the support of SITE, I hope to continue building a career that reflects those values. Whether in a Deloitte boardroom, a community kitchen, or a global incentive retreat, I will bring with me the spirit of excellence, empathy, and service that first started on a kitchen counter, beside a mother who taught me that the best way to lead is to love well and serve with purpose.
Abigail is one of six 2025-26 academic scholarship recipients, an annual award funded by SITE Foundation. You can find more details about all of this year’s recipients here. You can also help shape future industry careers by making a donation to SITE Foundation in support of scholarships and other projects expanding the power and potential of incentive travel.
