Scholarships add to the Christmas spirit with the tree lighting


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GCU student Kylie Amber Buere shows off the certificate for her David R. Landau Hospitality Scholarship, awarded Tuesday night during the Christmas tree lights at Canyon 49 Grill.

Story by Rick Vacek
Photos by Ralph Freso
AVV news office

It wasn’t exactly a big surprise when Kylie Amber Buere got emotional on Tuesday night.

She burst into tears when she learned that she and two others had won a David R. Landau Hospitality Fellowship Grand Canyon University Students, Victoria slope and Jeremiah Breeden.

Dr. Jennifer Elfenbein, Hospitality Management Chair at Colangelo College of Business, announces that Buere was one of the scholarship recipients.

That matched the tears she shed while writing the essay that earned her the $ 1,000 award.

And it certainly followed up with what she said Dr. Jennifer Ivory, Hospitality Management Chair of the Colangelo College of Business, on the first day of the course:

“I’m Kylie and I’ve been told I’m pretty loud.”

Now that she’s met her, Elfenbein lovingly calls her “The Firecracker”.

Next spring, “The Firecracker”, together with Hang and Breeden, will be planning a dinner for hospitality students next spring. Ivory has no doubts that they will do a bang-up job.

“I think it’s great because each of them has different talents and abilities, so I think they’ll work really well together,” she said.

The scholarship announcement was part of the GCU’s fourth annual Christmas tree lighting in the Canyon 49 Grill (see slide show here). Families decorated biscuits, children big and small visited Santa Claus and the hot chocolate with marshmallows was a treat, although the winter cold no longer penetrated the bones as deeply as in previous years.

Landau was a popular CCOB instructor who started the hospitality program before he passed away in 2019. Only two scholarships were supposed to be awarded, but the jury was so torn that they decided to make it a trio.

Buere, who with her contagious nature could have lit the Christmas tree all by herself, comes from Kahului on the Hawaiian island of Maui, which is known for its hospitality. She fits right in there if she goes through her career plan.

A young child is not entirely sure what to think of Santa Claus during the festivities.

“I want to go back there and educate and influence people about the hospitality industry,” she said. “It’s a good career, especially at home. There are a lot of jobs and there is experience and growth and a lot of knowledge. “

Her parents, who both work in the industry, showed her how to do it, and that’s why she was so emotional about her essay.

“I was very emotional because I came from an immigrant family – oh boy, I’m about to start crying,” she said, fighting back tears again.

She is grateful to her parents, who moved to Hawaii from the Philippines and gave her the opportunity to continue her education.

She is grateful to her professors at Maui College, University of Hawaii, where she earned an associate degree.

She will never forget how a high school teacher gave her opportunities to do shadow jobs, take trips to neighboring islands, and work at resorts.

A GCU student shows her decorated Christmas cookies.

She did everything from the cashier to the cook to the prepper to bring the food to the plate. But what moved them more than anything was the way the industry proceeded during the pandemic by handing out free plates of food.

“It showed me so much about being passionate,” she said.

The other two scholarship holders also have great stories.

Hang, a junior at GCU, came to the United States from Vietnam and lived with families in Colorado and Michigan before a Discover GCU trip took her to the glory of the West Phoenix campus.

Breeden, a senior, recently won a $ 7,500 Doug Yonko Fellowship from the Arizona Loding and Tourism Association.

“They were all excellent,” said Ivory of her essays. “The selection committee listed their top three, and they all had the same three.”

CCOB Dean Dr. Randy Gibb was also at the event and said, “A great start to the Christmas season. The David Landau Scholarship is so important to our college and hospitality program, and these three students are ideal for representing what Dave has envisioned for this scholarship and program. I love this event at Canyon 49 – the team did a great job! “

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or [email protected].

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