Grand Rapids — The Academy of Hospitality & Tourism is back at Ottawa Hills High School, and its return heralds a redoubled investment in students’ exposure to rewarding careers, Grand Rapids Public Schools leaders said during a reopening event in mid-October.
“We’re committed to preparing our scholars for a life beyond the classroom, and the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism embodies that mission,” GRPS Superintendent Leadriane Roby said during the event.
The academy — a partnership between the district, Experience Grand Rapids and Grand Valley State University — originally started in 2019, but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jordoun Eatman, a GRPS Board of Education trustee and vice president of Engagement & Inclusion at Experience Grand Rapids, helped revive it in 2023-24, adding a full-time instructor.
Coursework involves hands-on projects both in and out of the classroom, internships, including a full-day summit featuring tours of Van Andel Arena and Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, said Eatman.
He added that the hospitality and tourism fields are on the come-up in the area.
“Hospitality and tourism contributed $1.9 billion last year to the West Michigan economy. When we think about that number, how do students get involved in that?” Eatman said. “And this intersects with everything: IT, sales, marketing, human resources — everything falls underneath that, so it’s really important for them.”
‘I just feel like there’s good opportunities in hospitality, so I just want to see where it takes me.’
— Ottawa Hills junior Kiara Johnson
‘Good opportunities’
Juniors Sanaya Thompson, Yazmin Deleon and Kiara Johnson are each participating in the program. They attended the relaunch event to share their thoughts about why it’s important.
“I just feel like there’s good opportunities in hospitality, so I just want to see where it takes me,” Kiara said.
Yazmin and Sanaya agreed.
“I feel like the class is good because it can take you to so many places and you can learn more things about it if you’re in it for longer,” said Yazmin. “We’ve learned about good customer service and how to treat people.”
Sanaya said she values the class because “I get to express myself.”
She’s interested in becoming a travel agent. The career isn’t as common as it once was, so she said she’s hoping to start her own business and corner a section of the market.
The academy gives these students options they might not have known they had, said teacher Lillian “Jan” McGregory.
“Some of these kids need to know that there’s life outside of high school and you can make a good living and be a good provider for your family and there’s jobs out there waiting for you,” McGregory said. “Hospitality is a vehicle that’s just growing and expanding throughout the world. … So why not teach these kids to have better hospitality skills so they can get one of these jobs and maintain a good career and make money?”
Drumming Up Passion
Ottawa Hills Principal Tim Mabin said the program is working with GVSU on articulated classes that allow students to get a foot in the door to college.
“They take high school classes but because of the standards that they meet, they can get a certain grade in this class and they can get direct credit at Grand Valley if they want to continue and get a bachelor’s degree in a program within hospitality and tourism,” Mabin said.
He added that the relaunch of the specialized coursework at the academy also leads to renewed interest in subjects like math, science and social studies.
“When kids get passionate about something, it makes them work harder and be more intentional about those core things that aren’t always as exciting as they’d like,” he said. “But if you can connect that to the work you’d do for a restaurant or a hotel chain, that changes your perspective and the value you have for that core content.”
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