From Camper to Knight: Lucas Gorlin Tarbell’s Story, in his own words!

I’m Lucas Gorlin Tarbell, and I am 18 years old. I’m from Baltimore, MD. I love traveling, cooking, eating out at restaurants, listening to music, swimming, shopping, and occasionally binge watching Netflix. My mom is an elementary school teacher and my dad is an architect. I also have two dogs, Sandy and Bay Bay.

I decided to attend Camp Pineapple in summer 2018 after my mom told me about this camp from a Facebook post. I was very interested in applying to UCF since the beginning of my junior year, and I thought this would be a great program to experience how the students, faculty, and the industry partners collaborate in order to make Rosen one of the top five hospitality colleges in the world.

Camp Pineapple was an incredible week for me. I got to bond with 23 other campers who were interested in studying similar fields as me. It was especially nice since I was the only student passionate about studying hospitality management in my high school class. It was awesome to learn from others who want to major in the same field. The site visits were a blast! Genyth Travis, Senior Assistant Director, UCF Undergraduate Admissions, and the counselors did a fantastic job coordinating site visits to make sure they were informative and engaging. I enjoyed learning from the behind the scenes tour at the World Center Marriott, and learned how places like Topgolf and NASCAR I-Drive incorporate hospitality techniques that could be applied at those places. Plus, cooking for my friends was so much fun, and my kitchen group worked really well as a team. Camp Pineapple put the icing on the cake on why I wanted to attend Rosen College. I was already interested in the warm winters, fun sports events, and large school environment.

Camp Pineapple is wonderful for any high school student passionate about pursuing a career in the hospitality industry or someone who is undecided about their major. There’s a good chance you’ll fall in love with the hospitality industry if you’re surrounded by others interested in hospitality.

Some advice for high school students considering Camp Pineapple, while at camp, connect with your fellow campers and professionals. One of those people could land you your dream job in the hospitality industry! So, network, network, network!!!!!

I remember at my UCF orientation, my O-Teamer was considering switching her major to hospitality after leading a group of kind and energetic students planning to study at Rosen.

Now that I’m officially a Knight I want to get involved in the various student organizations at UCF. I plan on applying to UCF SGA’s Student Government Leadership Council, working with Rosen Life, connecting with POMP, and participating in the I W.I.L.L. Legacy and the Eta Delta Sigma International Hospitality Honor Society. Also, not only am I looking forward to gaining valuable internship experiences in one of the top tourist destinations in the world, but I also want to study abroad at Griffith University at Gold Coast, Australia.

Note: Lucas is a freshman. He starts his classes at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management in the fall of 2019. Charge On, Lucas!