Interview with Mitch Foresman

ASU Master's student, Mitch Foresman, was interviewed by research assistant, Tanner Caterina-Knorr, on his experience in the ASU sustainable tourism program and as a current intern at CREST.

 

Tell us about your background and how you came to ASU.

All my experience within the hospitality and tourism industry are in operations. This experience is in restaurants and hotels. In my early career I was learning the industry with positions such as server, cocktail attendant, and bellman to name a few. I enjoyed working with different varieties of people, creating experiences for guests, and grew a passion for the food and beverage side of the industry. In 2013 I started my undergraduate degree at Purdue University majoring in hospitality and tourism management. During my time at Purdue, I was able to receive my Court of Master Sommeliers level 1 certification as well as AHLA CHIA certification. I was also introduced to the field of sustainable tourism by Dr. Jonathan Day. Upon completing my undergraduate degree, I accepted a position with Hilton in their Management Development Program with a focus in the food and beverage department. After 6 months in the program, I was promoted to Assistant Executive Steward and the Sustainability Champion of the hotel. In this position I was able to work on new sustainable practices for the hotel. The main project I was leading was our food donation program. With the slowdown in the hospitality and tourism industry due to COVID-19, I thought it was a great time for me to go back to school. Having previous learning exposures and working on projects regarding sustainability, I wanted to combine my hospitality and tourism background with sustainability.

 

Why did you choose ASU for your Master's degree?

One of the main reasons I chose ASU for my master’s degree was their focus for the program. I was working towards addressing sustainability challenges in my previous role. I wanted to better my understanding of the field of sustainable tourism so that I could address sustainability challenges no matter the role. ASU looks at sustainable tourism from a holistic view that really resonated with me. Another reason that I chose ASU was the flexibility of the program. I was unsure if I was going to be going back to work because of COVID-19. I wanted to be able to balance out the program if I was going back to work. Being able to chose from the one year accelerated program or the spread the course load out over the two-year plan.

 

Congratulations on your summer internship with the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)! Tell us a bit about your responsibilities over the next few months.

While at CREST some of my responsibilities will include: 

• Assisting with research and analysis on sustainable travel, particularly on Cuba, Belize, Michigan, and other US and Caribbean projects 
• Conducting research and coordinating activities to support program development around Tourism in a Climate Crisis 
• Supporting the activities and development of the Future of Tourism Coalition 
• Helping to research of CREST’s 2021 The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends & Statistics 
• Helping to organize fundraising Travel Auctions and conducting grant research 
• Supporting research and business development in the areas of US national parks/protected areas, South/Central America, Caribbean, and biodiversity loss/conservation 
• Assisting with the growth of CREST’s Academic Affiliates network 
• Assisting with some administrative tasks

 

How has the first year of your Master's prepared you for this CREST internship?

The first year of the master’s program has helped me in a couple of different ways. The first year has been very interactive with the other students with things like Perusall and Yellowdig. It is having been a great experience hearing and learning from others in different segments of the industry. My background mainly focuses on food and beverage operations, so it has been great to hear from individuals in sales, national parks, DMOs, and others. It has helped me and my research for CREST to investigate other areas that I have more knowledge in from learning from classmates than I did previously. The first year of the master’s program has really helped me get a more holistic view when completing my research. The projects and the readings cover a broad range of issues, solutions, theories, and concepts.

 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with CREST?

I hope to gain a couple of things from the internship with CREST. On an academic level, I hope I can improve my research and communication skills. These are things I want to improve on for my studies at ASU but also for my career. I am hoping to gain more knowledge about sustainable tourism companies as well. These can range from DMOs, nonprofits, travel companies and others. I would enjoy learning more about this to help direct what I want to do with my career after graduating. 

 

Thank you, Mitch, for your time and good luck with the rest of the Summer internship with CREST!