Excellence is often defined by academics via achievements, citation counts, and benchmarks of success of their publications. 

For me, however, excellence represents something deeper, an unwavering commitment to growth, empathy, and resilience in the face of adversity. 

It is the determination to show up, even when circumstances make it almost impossible, and the courage to channel personal pain into meaningful change. 

My pursuit of excellence was profoundly shaped by a life-altering experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience that exposed not only my emotional limits but also the gaps in the hospitality industry that I am now committed to addressing through academic inquiry and professional advocacy.

In the midst of the pandemic, I lost my grandmother to COVID-19. The grief of that moment was compounded by my physical distance from family, as I was living and working in Sydney. With international borders closed and travel restrictions in place, I was unable to return home or be with my loved ones during the time of mourning. 

Despite this devastating loss, I had to report to work the very next morning for a 7 am shift at the hotel. The hotel was operating with skeleton staffing, and my responsibilities could not be reallocated. As guests arrived at the front desk, I was exchanging pleasantries or helping them check in or out. 

Whilst I stood there smiling, efficient and composed, internally, I was crumbling. I was grieving the loss of a loved one while donning a mask of hospitableness.

That week of work, under such immense emotional strain, was the most difficult time of my life. It also became the most enlightening. I realised that in the hospitality industry, where frontline workers are often praised for their people skills and emotional intelligence, there is little infrastructure in place to support those very attributes. 

We are trained to serve, to empathise, to always be ‘on’ regardless of our internal state. We are asked to mask grief, anxiety, and exhaustion behind a polished demeanour and a rehearsed smile. Emotional labour is not just expected; it is demanded yet rarely acknowledged or supported in any meaningful way. 

This experience sparked a transformation in my understanding of what excellence truly means. It is not simply about maintaining standards; it is about creating systems that allow individuals to thrive, especially in times of personal crisis.

This moment of awakening became the catalyst for my academic interests and future aspirations. I want to study the intersection of human resource management via a humanistic approach, organisational psychology, and emotional labour in hospitality. 

I am particularly passionate about advocating for neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, those of us who, like myself, may navigate the world differently and face unique challenges in environments that prioritise uniformity over individuality. 

The industry’s current framework, while efficient, often overlooks the diverse emotional and cognitive experiences of its workforce. I believe that this change is not only possible, but crucial. 

Failing to know and address the voices of neurodiverse employees can perpetuate workplace discrimination, along with preventing organisations from creating an inclusive workplace that can leverage the unique talents of the neurodiverse individuals in the workforce.

My goal is to contribute to a more compassionate and sustainable hospitality industry. I aim to research and promote inclusive organisational practices that prioritise employee well-being, psychological safety, and emotional resilience. 

I am especially interested in exploring how emotional labour affects mental health outcomes among neurodivergent frontline workers and what strategies can be implemented to mitigate burnout and emotional fatigue. 

Topics such as inclusive leadership, workplace wellness programs, and humanistic and adaptive management for neurodiverse teams are central to my academic curiosity. I believe that these areas of study are not just timely, but they are vital for the future of the hospitality industry.

Hospitality is, by its very nature, a human-centred industry. Guests remember how they were treated more than the specifics of the room decor or breakfast spread. Yet ironically, those delivering the hospitality often work in conditions that neglect their humanity. This contradiction is at the heart of why my chosen major is so important. 

As the world redefines wellness and inclusion across industries, hospitality must evolve. We need research-informed practices, emotionally intelligent leadership, and policies that prioritise employee dignity. I want to drive this change, not only as a scholar but as a practitioner who understands the lived realities behind the data.

In line with this vision, my dream incentive travel program would reflect the values I hold dear. Whilst people dream of incentive travel focusing on luxury destinations, entertainment, and corporate bonding. These elements are important, surely, but I feel an ideal incentive travel program should also prioritise emotional renewal and personal development. I envision a program designed not only to reward high performance but to replenish the emotional energy expended to achieve it. 

My dream incentive travel would be to be able to attend conferences on neurodiversity, diversity, equity, inclusion and the hospitality industry. Travelling the world with a purpose to understand what researchers across the world are doing and how we can adapt the best practice. Even small steps, one hotel at a time, would initiate a meaningful change. From my dream trip, I do not want to return just with memories, but with tools for helping out thousands of neurodiverse people like me and a deeper understanding of where we all stand.

As I prepare to pursue further education, I am motivated by the knowledge that my experiences, both painful and profound, can serve as the foundation for meaningful scholarship and leadership. 

I am eager to delve into case studies of progressive hospitality organisations, analyse data on emotional labour and collaborate with peers and faculty who share a passion for humanistic business practices. I want to develop the tools to influence policy, design training programs that support neurodiverse and emotionally burdened staff and ultimately contribute to a more empathetic future for the industry.

There is also a deeply personal element to this journey. I want to honour the memory of my grandmother, who embodied compassion, generosity, and quiet strength. She taught me the importance of caring for others, and her legacy lives on in my commitment to care not just for guests, but for the people who serve them. Her passing marked a profound turning point in my life, one that shifted my focus from simply building a career to building a cause.

Excellence, to me, is not just about external validation. It is about internal transformation. It is about taking the hardest moments of my life and using them as a springboard for change. It is about seeing the invisible emotional work of others and choosing to validate and support it. And above all, it is about showing up not just for work, but for the people who make that work possible.

In choosing to pursue this path, I am committing myself to a mission that blends academic rigour with human empathy. I hope to be a part of a generation of leaders that redefines success in hospitality not just by how guests feel when they leave, but by how employees feel while they are there. 

This mission is not only aligned with my values; it is shaped by my lived experience, and it is what drives me to strive for excellence every day.