With Cornell's Statler Hotel and Hotel School behind her, Julie Margolin looks to a bright future in the hospitality industry. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography
Julie Margolin, the winner of the School of Hotel Administration's prestigious 1999 Drown Prize, is the ideal ambassador for the Hotel School. Outgoing and well-spoken, she easily conveys her enthusiasm for the school while acting as a tour guide to prospective students. They brighten visibly when she tells them, "I've truly made the most of my experience here."
The Drown Prize was established by hotelier Joseph W. Drown and, at $15,000, is one of Cornell's heftiest academic awards. It is presented yearly to the Hotel School student who holds the promise of making a significant contribution to the hospitality industry.
Margolin, who will be a food services manager for Universal Studios in Hollywood after she graduates, grew up in Crestwood, N.Y., on the edge of Yonkers, not far from New York City, among close-knit, supportive family members. Her sister Sarah, 25, is a Hotel School graduate who now works for Seagram's, as did Margolin's father. Another sister, Carolyn, 19, is a biology major at Cornell. Margolin's mother, a Cornell graduate, taught grade school before becoming a full-time mom, and both grandmothers also were teachers. A grandfather was a school superintendent who helped integrate area schools.
"For a while I considered going into teaching, too," explained Margolin, "but now I hope to teach through training others at Universal. There is an aspect of teaching in everything we do. It's an exchange. When you're younger you give time and patience, and your teacher shares knowledge. When you're older, you also exchange experience."
The position at Universal involves feeding crowds of hungry tourists -- on average 30,000 visitors a day. "Families gear up to come here," she said. "You have the opportunity to make their day, or to ruin it." She worked for Universal for two of her college summers, first in Orlando, Fla., and then in the Hollywood location and liked what she saw and got to do.
"It was fast-paced, and I was treated as a professional and got to try my hand at everything, including prep cook and restaurant manager," she said. She describes the quality of service at Universal as exceptional among theme parks and the food quality as much better than standard fast-food fare -- freshly prepared salads, sandwiches to order, rotisserie chicken and her favorite, marinated ribs.
At the Hotel School Margolin was involved for four years in Hotel Ezra Cornell, the student-run hotel-for-a-weekend that attracts top hospitality practitioners. Restaurant Management, coordinated by Lecturer Barbara Lang, was among her favorite courses. She also valued Professor Glenn Altschuler's American Studies class. "It was a large lecture in Bailey Hall and the students hung on his every word," she said.
She also found time to work on numerous community projects. She repaired low-income houses during a public service day sponsored by Habitat for Humanity, painted a local community center through The Partnership, a campus-community alliance, raised money for the Alcoholism Council of Tompkins County and coordinated two Collegetown cleanups through the Panhellenic Association. "People really appreciated the effect of what we did," she said.
She also helped tutor a student at Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center in Lansing, N.Y., as part of Professor George Posner's The Art of Teaching class. "I really felt like I was making a difference," she said. "We got to be friends, and he opened up and shared his future plans with me."
While her thoroughly positive Cornell experience makes Margolin feel "not quite ready to graduate," she is excited about her future at Universal, which will allow her to do what she loves best -- helping people enjoy themselves. "I get to put smiles on the faces of lots of little kids." The feeling that comes from that, she said, is priceless.
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