Local students explore careers in leading Coachella Valley industries

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (KESQ) – A unique workshop gave local high school students eyeing careers in the hospitality and tourism industries a head start.

120 students from high schools encompassing all three valley school districts attended Tuesday's event, dubbed "Student Hospitality Day." They gathered at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, where they networked with industry professionals and had a chance to gain hands-on experience.

The field is a leading industry in the Coachella Valley. Organizers of Tuesday's workshop said hospitality and tourism account for $9.1 billion in economic impact each year, with 50,000 jobs in the valley alone.

"There's such a real need for this opportunity for intergenerational mentoring, for folks that are seasoned in our industry to come together with young folks in our community," explained Lauren Bruggemans, the Executive Director of the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation, the organization behind the event.

This year's workshop marks the second year the event was held. Bruggemans said the demand was high from industry leaders following the success of the first year, and based on how Tuesday's workshop went, she expects to see a third year and beyond.

Gabriela Moreno, a junior at Coachella Valley High School, was one of the students attending the event. She's a part of her school's Hospitality Academy, and said, "This experience is unique because not everyone gets to have this. And I'm very grateful that my teachers have opened me up to this."

"I definitely think it is setting me up well. I'm learning about the people's experiences is like very eye catching, and some I can relate to," Moreno continued.

Meanwhile, her instructors, like Augustin Toledo, said these experiences are critical for developing his students' life skills, regardless if they pursue hospitality as their careers or not: "A lot of the kids students don't even have any idea what they want to do with their with their, you know, life after high school. But even if they don't follow the industry, we're giving them the soft skills, the foundation that they can use at any other career that they pick."