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Diego Sosa in the teaching kitchens in Statler Hall.

Robert Barker/University Photography

Major: Hotel operations
College: Hotel Administration
Hometown: Born in Cali, Colombia; raised in Miami

Because it is home to the top hospitality program in the world.

My fraternity. I am an executive board member of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc. It is important to me because I have joined for life, and being on its executive board has given me the opportunity to shape the organization and guide it into the future.

In addition to becoming president of my fraternity during my senior year, I'm proud of having been a residential adviser for a residential hall, vice president and director of academic development for the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, nominated as Alpha Phi's Ivy Man, chosen as a model for the Cornell Store and the Hotel School, and awarded the STAR Starwood Scholarship and the Hyatt NSMH Scholarship.

Before summer freshman year, I went on a quest to find a hospitality internship in Singapore. After much research, I found a professor, Judy Siguaw, who passed my information to some contacts in Singapore. Thanks to her support, I was granted an internship; however, the expenses of the entire trip were out of my range.

Undaunted, I created an extensive proposal and pled my case for resources around campus. After weeks of meetings and presentations, I was able to get the Office of Minority Educational Affairs and Hotel School to fund my trip. At that point I realized that with just a bit of faith even the seemingly impossible becomes feasible. I have lived with this ideal ingrained in my heart ever since.

My internships around the world -- after Singapore, I interned in San Francisco sophomore year and Maui junior year. Each was an enlightening experience that broadened my horizons both in the scope of my academic career and on my view of the world. I was able to experience firsthand the complex differences between not only each country's hospitality management, but also their culture and traditions.

Coming from a low-income, single-parent household, I was faced with the challenge of finding funding sources that would help pay for my tuition. Through the generous donations of Hotel School alumni and some Cornell grants, I was fortunate enough to fund college. Without these benefits I would not have been able to attend this institution.

One of the things that makes me the most proud is my family background. I am a first-generation Colombian immigrant; therefore, I was raised in a very traditional Colombian household that allowed me to maintain my cultural roots within this very diverse country. I am also a first-generation college student, which makes me a role model within my family and one of the sources of my family's pride and inspiration. Coming from a humble background has made me very grateful for the opportunities I have had during my education here at Cornell.

Getting accepted to Cornell: I remember it as if it were yesterday, filled with emotion and jumping like a child with my mother and grandmother when I received my acceptance letter. My life has not been the same since.

I will be working as a management trainee for food and beverage at the luxurious Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco. In 10 years, I hope to find myself as a general manager.