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Interning at the Augusta National Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament has been called the hardest ticket to get in sports. The public can only obtain badges by lottery each year, and just a handful of professionals at the top of their game are invited to play the iconic Augusta National Golf Course. After all, to walk the rolling manicured greens bordered by blooming azaleas, stately magnolias and loblolly pines is to stand feet away from legends like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
The course is one of those rare places on Earth that seems a little closer to heaven. And for the past 10 years, Johnson & Wales Charlotte students have had the incredible opportunity to intern here.
Dr. P. has championed the JWU-Augusta National internship for the past decade. Hundreds of students have worked the prestigious event.
It all started when Professor Piyavan Sukalakamala, Ph.D., (or “Dr. P.”) learned from the senior director of operations at The National that a new exclusive clubhouse on the property, Berckmans Place, was looking to hire culinary and hospitality professionals to work the tournament. Due to the timing of the conversation, it took a year to ramp up their partnership, but by April 2012, approximately 100 Wildcats secured a front- or back-of-the-house paid position. It’s a relationship that has continued year after year.
“Experiential learning is at the heart of Johnson & Wales University’s mission to provide an exceptional education.”
Johnson & Wales takes experiential education like this opportunity seriously. It’s one of the reasons the university’s career outcomes rating ranks above the national average. “Experiential learning is at the heart of Johnson & Wales University’s mission to provide an exceptional education,” said Professor Sunil Atreya, chair of the JWU Charlotte College of Hospitality Management. “To that end, experiences such as these are the differentiators that set the students up for success.”
Here’s what makes the JWU-Augusta National relationship so unique — and impactful.
The Opportunity
Planning begins months ahead of the spring tournament. Representatives from various areas of Augusta National set up tables at fall on-campus career fairs. While the majority of interested students are pursuing culinary or hospitality degrees, openings in human resources or the pro shops draw business, fashion merchandising and even sociology majors.
What started out as a partnership that leveraged the culinary expertise of JWU's students now includes internships in human resources to merchandising.
The process is comprehensive and competitive. “We go through rigorous interviews that lead to detailed training to ensure that all students are placed based on strength and experience,” said Robert Bustillo Jr., Berckmans Place executive chef.
“This is an opportunity for them to work alongside and learn from reputable professionals in the industry while providing world-class hospitality.”
Dr. P. gets the word out in the classroom too, with a special focus on driving home the impact an internship like this could have on her students’ careers. She said, “I tell them, ‘Look around the room at your peers and classmates. After you graduate, you are all going to be applying for the same job. What can you do to make your résumé unique?’ ”
Atreya underscores this sentiment. “This is an opportunity for them to work alongside and learn from reputable professionals in the industry while providing world-class hospitality.”
The Experience
The Masters Tournament, including the practice round, runs a full week, but the Johnson & Wales students who work the event commit to as many as 10 days. They are placed in dining concepts from Southern to Scottish pub, casual à la carte to upscale dining. They run inventory, expedite, prep or even manage areas. Bustillo said, “We could not do what we do without our strong partnership.”
“It pushed me to hone my awareness of what hospitality does on an elevated level. Everything is done with such purpose.”
Christopher Williams ’14, who now works as a chef in New Zealand, interned in the players’ locker room and clubhouse as a tournament sous chef. He remembered, “It pushed me to hone my awareness of what hospitality does on an elevated level. Everything is done with such purpose.”
Students like Christopher Williams (left) said interning at The Masters is the "experience of a lifetime."
After all, there’s little room for anything less than flawless service. The sports world’s eye is turned to the town during the high-caliber sporting event. Celebrities, dignitaries, leading companies and the pros themselves expect the best. Bustillo said, “The students at JWU are instrumental in ensuring that our clubs’ members and patrons receive nothing short of excellence during the Masters Tournament.”
In addition, Dr. P. reminds her students of the ripple effect of a job well done. “I tell the students that they are responsible for building on this relationship for someone in the future,” she said.
The Mentorship
It’s one thing to experience the internship of a lifetime — it’s quite another to do it more than once.
“I returned each year to the Masters to not only work for an elite private club conducting a world-renowned tournament. I returned to work alongside some of the best industry professionals,” said Austin Scoles ’18.
Students work alongside industry professionals and credit mentorship as one of the highlights of the experience.
Bustillo agreed that seeing students return and grow year after year is another reason why the partnership is so remarkable. “It is impressive to see returning students mentor and train first-time students.”
Summary
The College of Hospitality Management at JWU Charlotte has consistently ranked in the Top 10 programs in the world. Deep relationships like the JWU-Augusta National internship experience give students exposure to career professionals and opportunities at the highest level.
“Through this experience, our students develop a sense of confidence and make important industry connections that lead to some lucrative internships and career opportunities,” said Atreya.
Dr. P. said that it also helps open her students’ eyes to an entire industry, potentially changing the trajectory of their future. “Many people think private clubs are for a privileged few, but this is another opportunity in the hospitality area — and it’s resilient.”
