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sarah

Name: Sarah Ti Ying Wen 

Nationality: Malaysian

High School: Grace Homeschooling Centre Petaling Jaya – Class 2011

Degree Chosen at Les Roches: Bachelor of Business Administration in International Hotel Management specializing in Entrepreneurship – Class 2016

sarah's story

Ms. Pauline (SUISSEedu) introduced to me to Les Roches approach towards a holistic hospitality education. She was very helpful in arranging meet-up’s with current undergraduates and alumni’s so that has really helped enabled me to have a first hand knowledge of the Swiss hospitality education system. SUISSEedu assisted me every step of the way through the admissions process, step-by-step and promptly obtained acceptance into Les Roches.

1. Studying in Switzerland – Why did you choose Switzerland as a study destination. And how was your experience studying at Les Roches?

Switzerland is the best choice for a study destination due to its world-class reputation in hospitality. The location is perfect for traveling across Europe and the Swiss mountains are stunning! My experience with Les Roches was life changing. The exposure to different cultures through a myriad of nationalities gives an edge to the campus. I am proud to say that beautiful friendships of mine were built across international waters. The school is unique as we hunger to learn the ins and outs of hospitality. The lecturers are well experienced and qualified with international exposure. All these were vital to the learning and development process.

2. My Program – Which program did you choose and describe in summary overall program about what you learned from the campuses.

I chose the undergraduate program for the Bachelor of Business Administration in International Hotel Management and specialized in Entrepreneurship. I was able to experience 3 different campuses during my 4 years of study. I wanted to experience life in other campuses and travel as much as I could. With the support of my parents, I took the opportunity to attend Les Roches in Switzerland, Spain and China. InBluche during my first year, I was challenged with concepts and rooms division. In Marbella during my second year, I learnt about kitchen and culinary concepts. In Shanghai during my third year, we were taught business administration. In the final year of my degree, management skills were the main focus. I also learnt the most through business planning, capstone and my own dissertation.

3. My Internship – Where did you do your internships and which one was your best experience out of all?

As opposed to the current internship structure which requires only two internships, I completed 3 internships during the course of my studies, each with a 6 month period. I landed my first internship at Hotel Edelweiss in Geneva, Switzerland. There, I was tasked with breakfast duties and minibar control. My second internship was at Hotel Arts Barcelona, a Ritz Carlton property in Barcelona, Spain. I loved this experience the most out of all because it was truly wholesome in such a young and vibrant city. I started off as a call center agent, having to converse in Spanish was not easy. I quickly assimilated into the role and was given the opportunity to train also as a concierge agent in my remaining last two months. My last internship was at the Grand Kempinski in China. During that period, I worked as a receptionist and got to have hands on experience in Rooms Division.

4. My Future – What are your goals after graduation? If graduated already – what is your current position and what do you do daily on your job. What do you love most about it, next career move?

It has been 10 months since I’ve graduated from Les Roches. I am currently working as a Manager in Training with the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. Since the start of my program, I have been rotating between both the Front Office and Housekeeping department. As of March 2017, I have been working as a room attendant for training purposes. My next career move will probably be to assist with the pre-opening of our new Four Seasons property in Kuala Lumpur. I am excited to start fresh and to guide a team as a future manager.