Graduation!
As usual, there was a flurry of activity this month, but nothing compares to the main event – the moment we have all been waiting for since the school year began last July. The buzz began back in February when students were measured for their graduation robes and the buzz kept getting louder through the month of May! The graduation on 25 May 2019 was a momentous occasion for students, staff, administration, and all supporters and partners of the Sumba Hospitality Foundation.
With eleven months preparing students as hospitality professionals and weeks and weeks of preparing for “the big day” – students and staff found this to be somewhat of a bittersweet occasion. Close bonds have been formed between the students and staff, and a constant reminder that our time together is coming to an end has been in the air.
But with every end comes a new beginning and the bonds that have formed here will never be broken. We are the Sumba Hospitality Foundation family –growing stronger every year, improving the lives of Sumbanese youth, their families, and communities, ensuring sustainable tourism and development, and creating a new generation of global ambassadors in sustainable hospitality. We are so pleased to have you as one of the family! Congratulations and many blessings to our 59 new graduates! We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and look forward to seeing great things from you in your internships and beyond! Here’s to YOU!
Donation opportunities
Saying goodbye to Cohort 3 must mean that Cohort 4 is just around the corner. If you would like to personally help one of our new students we would love to have you participate in the student sponsorship program. With your donation, all students enjoy the benefits of your generosity and you will be assigned one student who will personally correspond with your monthly. Sponsors personally witness the life-changing events happening at the Sumba Hospitality Foundation through monthly personal contact with one of our amazing students. If you are interested in sponsoring a student for the coming year, please contact us at donations@sumbahospitalityfoundation.org.
Besides sponsorship, there are also other ways to contribute such as assisting us with the purchase of student materials, meals, medical supplies, and the like. Have a look at our Donation-page for more info. We are grateful for the support of our benefactors.
Students of Bakti Luhur Vocational School Visit SHF
SHF was proud to host our visitors from nearby Bakti Luhur Vocational School. Over 145 students and teachers took a campus tour and visited with our students and staff in each of our Core Modules to discover the wonder of hospitality vocations. Students and staff from all departments at the Sumba Hospitality Foundation were happy to welcome and enlighten these visitors. They themselves are studying hospitality theory in their high school vocational program. Some of these students will apply in the coming years for entry into the hotel school. We are pleased to work in collaboration with all hospitality partners on the island of Sumba and beyond to ensure that sustainable tourism is not only environmentally friendly but a significant benefit to the local communities in Sumba.
SHF Featured in Documentary by TF1
The one and only TF1, a well-known French television channel, filmed a documentary about Sumba island and included an 8-minute segment on one of our students, Victoria, and her experience at the Sumba Hospitality Foundation. Enjoy!
