Alumni Career Feature
Sherri Friese
We feature alumni with interesting careers from a variety of career areas. To find out more about the alumnus profession contact them via the e-mail provided. Or if you are interested in being featured, e-mail us at alumni@pct.edu.
- A.A.A., Hospitality Management, 2007
- Cura Hospitality
- flshe38@hotmail.com
Sherri’s Background
Sherri Friese is a very “service oriented” person. Serving the community, assisting people, and making a positive difference in their lives are all goals she had as a student at Chambersburg High School. After a conversation with her father, Sherri decided to learn more about Penn College and how it could fit into her future plans. She enrolled, completed some classes, and narrowed her interest to Hospitality Management.
Cura Hospitality
Sherri is the assistant director of dining services at Menno Haven, a retirement community for older adults in Chambersburg. As assistant director, Sherri is responsible for a staff of 32 people and serves approximately 75 to 100 residents three meals a day. One of Sherri’s greatest challenges is creating a menu that pleases the tastes of every resident. The cooking knowledge gained at Penn College is helping her meet this challenge. Managing inventory, scheduling staff hours, and serving residents can also be overwhelming to the most organized individual. Sherri acknowledges the organizational skills she developed at Penn College have helped her manage it all successfully.
Advice
Sherri admits she was the “social butterfly” in college and although this trait has helped her build relationships within her industry, she now wishes she would have focused more on her studies. She advises students to take more classes and expand their knowledge in all the fields that interest them. The extra attention pays off in the long run. She also suggests taking risks and trying new things since you never know what might happen until you experience it. Explore as much of the industry as you can, so you gain a better understanding of the opportunities and then match your strengths to the environment that is best for you.
Future
Sherri enjoys her work with Cura Hospitality at Menno Haven. She currently works with a very traditional generation of residents, a generation that is resistant to change. However, as the dynamics of retirement communities evolve, a younger generation with mixed demographics could bring a willingness to try new things and add variety to her menu. She welcomes the challenges of her industry and looks forward to serving this new generation of residents.
