Major reward for hard work and dedication despite life-changing circumstances
A high-flying tourism graduate from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is certainly going places after she scooped a prestigious national award.
Amelia Foster, 24, from Warrington has been named ‘Best Undergraduate Student of Tourism’ by the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE).
Studying on the BA (Hons) International Tourism Management, Amelia won the top title from the ATHE after being nominated by the University and achieving the highest grade, 90 percent overall, for her Dark Tourism module in her final year of studies.
The recent graduate, who was awarded a First, also battled life-changing circumstances when her dad passed away during her course. It meant the talented student cutting short one of her internship positions and then securing another placement closer to home.
Commenting on the award Amelia said: “To be recognised for your hard work and commitment by the ATHE is a real honour. I’d like to thank all the lecturers and support staff at UCLan who helped me throughout my course. They were especially supportive when my dad died in my final year, helping me with counselling and extra academic coaching.”
"To be recognised for your hard work and commitment by the ATHE is a real honour. I’d like to thank all the lecturers and support staff at UCLan who helped me throughout my course."
— Amelia Foster
During her course Amelia gained experience of the tourism industry in Berlin, Poland and Iceland and hopes to land a graduate position within the travel and tourism sector in the near future. She added: “Although I’m sad to leave after an amazing four years I’m excited and ready to see what the future holds for me!”
UCLan’s Dr Carley Sutton, Course Leader for the BA (Hons) International Tourism Management, nominated Amelia for the award and added: “Amelia was such a hardworking and determined student so I had no hesitation in nominating her for this prestigious award. She certainly has an exciting future ahead and we look forward to hearing all about it.”
Amelia will receive an eCertificate in recognition her achievement when the names of awardees are officially announced at the ATHE Virtual Conference on 3-4 December 2020.