After raising her children and working in the travel and health insurance industries, Tisha Owens made a life-changing decision. Turning her dream of earning a bachelor’s degree into reality, Owens took advantage of the 2+2 program—an agreement that allows students with Ivy Tech associate’s degrees to continue toward a bachelor’s degree at IU Indianapolis.
“It just felt like a good fit,” said Owens, who will graduate from the IU School of Health & Human Sciences in May. “The TESM [Tourism, Event, Hospitality & Sport Management] program seemed like a good transition from my associate’s degree in hospitality administration, and I was really drawn to the tourism and event planning aspects of the program.”
In a unique immersive learning experience, Owens enrolled in TESM’s cruise ship management course. The popular course includes learning about the cruise industry before heading out on a 10-day cruise during spring break.
“I definitely wanted the broader view of tourism that the course provides, and it was so much more than I expected,” said Owens, who traveled with eight classmates and course instructor Amy Johnson from the Port of Miami to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. “Every day we had assignments that included interviewing cruise staff, which was one of the highlights of the experience—talking to people from all over the world.”
With a wealth of experience from her coursework and two summer internships with the Indiana Destination Corporation, Owens is excited about interviewing for positions that will allow her to highlight and promote destinations in Indiana.
“There’s a misconception that there isn’t any tourism in Indiana, but there’s tourism everywhere,” Owens said. “And tourism is important everywhere for economic development and quality of life.”
As Owens reflects on her two years at IU Indianapolis, she admits that she was nervous about being a nontraditional student.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’ve had an overwhelmingly pleasant experience with both faculty and students,” she said. “There are differences in the generations, but there is a lot more in common than you think especially when you’re committed to working together.”