Jose

For Jose, hospitality is in his blood. His grandfather owned a hotel in Brazil, and Jose says that cooking, serving, and providing people with a wonderful time always brought him happiness. As he explains, "that experience of seeing a smile, of seeing people happy on their occasions, that brings me personal happiness and that is my main goal in hospitality."

While working as a bank manager in Brazil, Jose would visit his mother in Howard County and look at the classes offered at Howard Community College. Knowing he still held a passion for the culinary and hospitality fields, Jose decided to "invest more time in his education." He quit his job and used his savings to enroll at HCC. On campus, Jose led the culinary club From Scratch, which gave food demos and hosted cultural events such as pumpkin carving. He also served as chair of the Student Programming Board, planning  social activities for HCC.

Now, Jose has graduated with an associate degree in hospitality management from HCC. He wants to work in Howard County hospitality locations before pursuing his bachelor's degree, and is also busy with his blooming catering business.