Emily McNulty

My passion, which I am currently pursuing through a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, is event planning. I developed a passion for event planning in high school, when I started regularly attending concerts. At that point I knew I wanted to do something with these kinds of events, to be a part of them or be in charge in some way, but I was still unsure of how to go about getting involed. In my journey through college, I discovered the major of Hospitality and Tourism Management and decided this was the perfect opportunity to get into the industry of event planning, which is a branch of the hospitality field. Since applying and getting accepted into the major, I have joined clubs, organizations, and participated in volunteer work in order to gain as much experience as possible and work my way toward my ultimate goal to become an event planner. I am now an event coordinator in the Southwest Area Government, which is an organization at UMass that puts on activities and events such as "Southwest Week" for student enjoyment. I am a part of a club called MEMA (Meeting and Event Managers Association) which is a chapter of MPI (Meeting Professionals International). In this club, we attend monthly MPI meetings and organize our very own meetings and outings on and off campus. Over winter break this year, I volunteered at the PCMA convention in Boston, which gives meeting and event companies an opportunity to showcase themselves and new technologies they use to further their innovation. This was an eye opening experience to me because I got a taste of what it really takes to be an event planner. Volunteering at this convention also excited and defined my passion for my goal career path. To me, there is no better feeling than providing other people with entertainmnet and happiness, and that is what I plan to do through event planning.