The course “Introduction to Hospitality Management” taught by Professor Angela McDonnell is Fatima Ceesay’s favorite class since she’s been a student at St. Thomas Aquinas College. “That class changed my career path and after taking it, I changed my major from Business Management to Hospitality Management,” says Fatima, adding that she especially likes the program’s versatility. “People think hospitality is just hotels and restaurants, but there is so much more to it, including cruises and resorts and much more,” she explains.
Fatima plans to complement her studies in Hospitality Management with a minor in Sport Management because she has her sights set on pursuing a career in another exciting area of the industry: sports arena management.
In addition to learning about the many career options in the hospitality field in her class, Fatima also found her instructor very inspiring. “Professor McDonnell is very passionate about her job and works hard to make sure all of her students get the internships we need and the support we need,” she explains. To that end, Fatima is hoping to add an internship at The Barclays Center to her résumé before she graduates.
Fatima’s interest in sports dates back to her high school years when she played softball, basketball, and volleyball, experiences through which she gained many friends and memories, especially during the softball championship in her senior year. She also follows college softball and the WNBA, and recently, she attended a Brooklyn Nets game and had a great time cheering on her favorite team.
Professor McDonnell, who has gotten to know Fatima over three semesters, has no doubt that she will excel in her future career. “Fatima is always super attentive and her standard of work is superb,” she says. “She has an excellent array of skills and competencies which will ensure she has a wonderful career in the service industry.” When Fatima takes the course “Event Planning and Management” in the fall, Professor McDonnell says that she “can’t wait to have her at the helm in a management leadership position working on the annual Winter Wonderland Family Festival.” The fun-filled day-long event features food trucks, entertainment, music, and many other holiday festivities, and attracts nearly 2,000 people to campus.
Fatima says that the many events held on campus are another thing she loves about being a St. Thomas Aquinas student because “there’s always something to do.” She also likes the small class sizes and the one-on-one time with professors like Professor McDonnell who really care about her success.
Since she stepped foot on campus, Fatima has been deeply involved in the College community, serving as a student ambassador and tour guide and as a mentor for incoming freshmen in the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), an academic support program for students from economically disadvantaged families.
Family means the world to Fatima and while she enjoys living on campus, she is happy to be close to home in the Bronx, where her parents settled when they came to the U.S. from West Africa. One of seven children, Fatima has three older sisters, two older brothers, and one younger sister. “My parents sacrificed everything to come here and give me and my siblings a better life,” she says.
Fatima considers her twin sisters, Umou and Kadija, her greatest role models. “My older sisters both graduated from college with their masters and are on the path to their dream careers, and one is working on her Ph.D.,” she says. “They inspire me because of how hard-working they are and they show me that anything is possible when you work for it.”
-By Claire Curry