Written by Joanna Marie V. Villavicencio
Traditional textbooks are no longer sufficient to equip students for today’s rapidly evolving global tourism and hospitality workforce. To address the shift toward operational readiness and digital fluency, the University of Baguio School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management (UB-SIHTM) launched an innovative online initiative known as the Tourism P.E.A.K.S. (Professionalism Elevated and Knowledge Shared) Webinar Series. This monthly series bridges classroom theory and real-world application by bringing back successful alumni as global mentors.
Coordinated by Joanna Marie V. Villavicencio, program chair for Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM), the program helps students develop essential “soft power” traits such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, professional digital etiquette, and adaptability, necessary for future industry leaders. This initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically supporting SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by enhancing graduate employability and allowing faculty to act as “knowledge brokers.”
The inaugural session, titled “Excelling in Professional Presence and Beyond the Classroom,” held on February 7, 2026, via Zoom, with Villavicencio serving as moderator, focused on building an international career roadmap. The session featured recent 2024 graduates who have already made significant global strides, namely Fritzdin Aeron P. Cabico, a Food and Beverage Service Expert at the Ritz-Carlton in Dubai, UAE, and Venvir S. De Vera, a Cook 2 at the Dominion private resort in Puerto Romana, Spain. Both speakers shared their rapid transitions from local university life to high-stress international hospitality roles. The session received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the 293 student attendees.
Building on this momentum, the second installment was held on March 21, 2026, celebrating Women’s Month with the theme “Championing Excellence: Empowering the Global Horizon Through Alumnae Leadership,” moderated by Dr. Marivic B. Mutong, SIHTM faculty. This session focused on female leadership in corporate and executive-level positions within highly competitive fields. It featured highly accomplished alumnae: Afari Noor P. Mohammed (Batch 2008), Cabin Services Director at Qatar Airways; Ailene M. Nazarro (Batch 2009), Restaurant Manager at Chedi Hospitality in Sharjah, UAE; and Makhalim B. Cruz (Batch 2013), Officer-in-Charge Division Chief of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. More than 185 actively engaged students participated in deep dives regarding corporate resilience and emotional intelligence.
The Tourism P.E.A.K.S. series has already yielded significant positive changes, providing both immediate benefits for students and lasting institutional growth for the university. In the short term, student participants gain direct access to industry insights, learning practical skills such as digital etiquette, adaptive communication, and crisis management straight from active professionals. Reaching a wide audience across all year levels, the series successfully transforms passive virtual attendance into an active learning community where students can ask targeted career questions and build professional confidence.
Looking to the future, the long-term implications of the project extend well beyond individual webinar sessions. By maintaining an active speaker database and building continuous feedback mechanisms, UB SIHTM strengthens its alumni network into a permanent collaborative ecosystem. Archiving these global insights into a Virtual Community of Practice ensures that alumni wisdom continuously enriches course curricula and classroom lectures. Ultimately, this initiative fosters sustained global partnerships, enhances institutional reputation, and reinforces UB SIHTM’s commitment to developing workforce-ready graduates equipped to excel anywhere in the world.
