STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: CINDY HA

Though she may seem quiet when you first meet her, Cindy Ha is a force to be reckoned with. A Hotel and Restaurant Management major, Cindy will graduate in August with a concentration in food and beverage management.

As a student, her accolades are strong. Ha was a member and officer of Par Excellence, an honors organization in the College of Hotel and Restaurant Management that serves as a student-run staffing center for events on campus and around Houston. The organization has strict acceptance guidelines and requires an entire semester of training before members are allowed to assist on events.

�Par Excellence is a great way to get your feet wet and an even greater way to meet industry leaders,� said Ha. �Not only that but it was my family away from home.�

In addition, Ha worked as a summer intern with UH Dining Services to fulfill her internship requirement. She spent the bulk of her time working in residential dining at the RFoC in Oberholtzer Hall and did such an outstanding job that UH Dining Services decided to keep her on indefinitely.

When she graduated from intern to student worker in Fall 2010, Ha became an integral part of the office staff doing everything from updating menus on the dining website to helping serve food behind the line during rush periods.

�It was a really good way to learn about running a kitchen from an administrative standpoint,� said Ha. �Plus, since I was balancing school, work and Par Excellence, it was nice to work in a place that understands those different priorities and will work with your schedule.�

While the RFoC is closed for the summer, Ha is helping out the marketing team at UHDS as they speak at orientations and offer parents and students information about meal plans and dining on campus.

�Cindy is a great saleswoman and a real asset to the team,� said Amber Arguijo, marketing coordinator for UH Dining Services. �She�s got first-hand experience in the kitchens so she�s able to reassure parents about food quality and even give them insider tips as to what the best dishes are at each location so that students can plan their meals accordingly.�

Ha�s personal interests make her a good source for that kind of information; she plans to attend culinary school after graduation, with her ultimate goal being to open her own sports bar and grill.

�I�ve always wanted to own my own place, and what�s better than a sports bar and grill?� said Ha. �It�s like the triple threat of the food and beverage side: food, drinks and entertainment.�

So look out culinary world, Cindy Ha is on her way and she�s not taking any breaks on the way there.

For more information about UH Dining Services visit www.uh.edu/dining.