UW Students to Compete in Pulte Gateway to Hospitality Innovation Challenge

The Pulte Gateway to Hospitality Student Innovation Challenge will take place from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, at Laramie’s Hilton Garden Inn.

This challenge brings together interdisciplinary teams of students from the University of Wyoming, Central Wyoming College and Laramie High School to develop innovative strategies for hotel management and community engagement. During the spring semester, students have worked collaboratively to compete for a share of $20,000 in cash prizes. The hands-on competition is designed to empower students with practical skills, industry exposure and professional experience.

The Pulte Gateway to Hospitality Student Innovation Challenge is made possible through the generous support of the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation. The foundation’s sponsorship reflects its dedication to fostering opportunity and innovation for students pursuing careers in tourism and hospitality management.

“We are thrilled to see the ideas these students have developed over the semester,” says Sara Ghezzi, an assistant professor of practice in UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and an affiliated faculty member of the Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute. “We are deeply grateful to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation for making this opportunity possible.”

UW student Savannah Avey, a junior studying outdoor recreation and tourism management from Gail, Texas, says the class has been a great opportunity to put what she and her classmates have learned about hospitality to a real-world scenario.

“I am excited for the challenge day and to see if our own ideas can lead to something that the hotel implements,” Avey says.

Students are encouraged to attend and support these emerging innovators as they present their final projects to a panel of judges with expertise in the hospitality and tourism industries, Ghezzi says.

For more information, email Ghezzi at sghezzi@uwyo.edu.