Andrea Concepcion Cazal Benitez
BSc Tourism Management 2019
MSc Science Tourism and Hospitality 2020 Tourism and Hospitality graduate, Andrea Benitez, originally from Paraguay, has made the other side of the globe her home and has just finished her master’s degree at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS).
As part of her degree she completed an internship at the Shangri-la Hotel in Singapore and she is proud to say she got rewarded twice for her good customer service skills.
She said: “I received a certificate reward plus free dining in any restaurant of the hotel thanks to three satisfied customers within one month of my work. That achievement filled me with excitement and enthusiasm, further encouraging me to improve myself day by day.”
Andrea, 23, moved to Singapore with her family in 2016. Thanks to her dad transferable job they have the opportunity to travel around the globe. When they arrived to Singapore, Andrea did some research and decided to complete a University of Sunderland degree at MDIS.
She said: “ I chose to pursue my studies at the Management Development Institute of Singapore as it was one of the reputable schools here in Singapore. There is when I was first introduced to the programme of the University of Sunderland.
“My academic journey was priceless. The BSc and MSc were well-planned and structured, and we got an overview of most of the aspects of the hospitality industry.”
After completing her bachelor's degree, Andrea decided to go onto completing a master's degree and do focus research on the relationship between customer loyalty and satisfaction in five stars hotels in Singapore.
Andrea believes that the cosmopolitan environment of the college provided her with an opportunity to learn about varios cultures from around the globe which equipped her with the interpersonal skills needed in the hospitality industry.
Asked about her biggest challenge to date, she explained: “It was to acquire successful time management skills. It’s one of the most important aspects of college life. I had to manage personal and family responsibilities as well as peer pressure.”
Her advice to current students is “to believe in their dreams and work hard to achieve them.”
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