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The first graduate of TTG’s scholarship to Leeds Beckett University was among the winners of the ITT’s annual awards for travel and tourism students.
Donna Allcock, who is now holidays channel manager at Travelsupermarket.com, won the BSC (Honours) Travel Business Management Student of the Year at the ITT Student Awards, which were held at the House of Commons as part of the institute’s summer party.
She was one of two students to take part in the first TTG Scholarships launched in 2013 to mark TTG’s 60th anniversary, and was the first to win the new ITT award.
Among the other winners were the University of Portsmouth’s Jasmine Jenkins, who is studying for a BA in hospitality management with tourism and won the Bella Rangel Callan ITT Student of the Year award.
PhD Student of the Year went to Sarah Pyke from Bournemouth University, who is working on a project looking into the link between holidays and wellbeing.
Hospitality and Catering Student of the Year was awarded to Andreea Rimniceanu, from the University of Wolverhampton, and Ocean Holidays’ Michaela Gordon scooped the Apprentice of the Year title.
Claire Steiner, ITT’s education and training committee chair, said: “The committee was delighted with the standard of entries this year. For me, this is a wonderful example of the talented people who are studying to become part of our industry.
“We want to do all we can to encourage young people to pursue an interest in educational opportunities and careers in the sector. The awards are a great way of encouraging students to showcase themselves.”
The awards were sponsored by UK-based taxi network minicabit, which allows users to compare prices and book taxis and minicabs.
Eight students also received Centre of Excellence Students of the Year awards, which were nominated by the universities that act as ITT Centres of Excellence.
This year’s winners were: Bournemouth University’s Preslava Ivanova; Anzelika Kaskure from Manchester Metropolitan University; Rob Tarren and Megan Chandler, both Northumbria University; Debby McAllister, University College Birmingham; Nicki Hughes, University of Wolverhampton; Megan Griffiths, Leeds Beckett University; and Lauren Polhill, Plymouth University.
Winning student Debby McAllister said of the awards ceremony: “It was the most special night I’ve ever had the privilege of attending, and to be surrounded by so many amazing people from the industry was magical.
“Studying tourism has been the best, most life-changing and rewarding thing I’ve ever done, especially as I never thought I’d be going to university at all.”
