Throughout the fall and spring semesters, we will feature our professional mentors through a series of #MentorMonday blog posts. Stay tuned to learn more about these alumni and friends of the College of Human Ecology!
This week’s featured mentor is Chelsey Frihart, a 2012 graduate of K-State.
Talk briefly about your experiences in the College of Human Ecology at K-State. Specific major, any clubs you were involved in, memories that stick out to you and how your degree prepared you for your career.
I was a Business Management major with the goal of becoming an event planner after college. While I wasn’t in the College of Human Ecology, I tried to get in as many classes and clubs in the College as I could to help further my event planning dreams. I was involved in CMAA – Club Management Association of America for a few years. Some of my best memories in the college include going to CMAA conferences. I feel that through the College of Business and College of Human Ecology, I was able to get a diverse training that helped me with my current career.
Please explain your current job position and how long you have been in that role/with the company?
I am the Assistant Director of Hospitality and Special Events in the Ahearn Fund at K-State Athletics. I manage a staff of 40 hospitality students that work in the premium seating areas on game day for football, men’s & women’s basketball and baseball. Our department manages all of the sport banquets for K-State Athletics, all Ahearn Fund events and any department events. We also provide tours of our facilities and rent out the West Stadium Center for external events. I have been with K-State Athletics for just a little over four years now.
Touch on the benefits of a mentor/mentee relationship and the big takeaway(s) you’ve had through the program.
I think this is a great program and I wish I would have gotten involved in something like this while going to K-State. I have enjoyed getting to know the students that I have mentored and I hope that this program helps these students find jobs after college and continue to network with others in the industry.
If you could give college students once piece of professional advice, what would it be?
My advice would be that as an event planner you have to continue to learn after school. This industry is always changing and in order to keep up, you have to stay on top of the new trends and continue to do research throughout your time in the industry. This is a very unique profession and it will always be changing so it is crucial to never stop learning.