Fally Sabara works as a global ticketing support and refund specialist at Delta Air Lines. Most people would be happy climbing the ranks at one of the world’s oldest and most established airline companies, but Sabara isn’t most people. She also is earning a Master of Global Hospitality Management (MGHM) degree from the Robinson College of Business so she can develop the skills needed to achieve the aspiration she shares with her three sisters—opening a resort in their home country of Senegal. The complex will include a hotel, theme park, and thalassotherapy (seawater) center. In addition to a luxury tourist getaway, the resort will include training and work-study opportunities for aspiring hospitality leaders.
“I’m so excited about the program,” Sabara said. “This is the first time I’m truly envisioning my future, knowing I can accomplish what I’ve always hoped for.”
Sabara was drawn to Robinson’s program because it offers a comprehensive curriculum touching every facet of hospitality. In Soon-Ho Kim’s Survey of Hospitality and Tourism course, Sabara and a team of classmates delivered a presentation on how online travel agencies can navigate the current market and conducted a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the hospitality and tourism industries in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.
Through the program’s deep and broad curriculum, Sabara has expanded on her 13 years of professional experience. She started as an intern at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar Sea Plaza in Senegal while getting an associate degree in tourism and business as well as a B.S. in aviation business administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The combination of her academic background and professional training has primed her to accomplish her goals.
“Through the MGHM program, I’ve been introduced to every aspect of hospitality and am learning how to manage major properties,” Sabara said. “That’s my dream.”