Washington, DC, September 14, 2015 - The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), awarded 380 scholarships totaling $730,500 this year, 38% of which were to minority hospitality management students.

Of its nine scholarship programs, two are dedicated specifically for minority students. Click on the scholarship name to view the 2015 winners:

• The Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students awarded $48,000 in scholarships to 24 minority hospitality management students. Since its inception in 1988, this program has awarded 351 students with scholarships totaling $702,000.
• JHM Hotels awarded 21 scholarships totaling $39,000 through the Rama Scholarship for the American Dream Program. The fund, established with a $1,000,001 endowment on the 25th anniversary of the Rama brothers first hotel purchase, provides the financial support to help others create their own American Dream. To date, the fund has awarded $726,000 in scholarships to 446 recipients.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, hospitality work experience, financial need, and other requirements based on specific criteria of the scholarship. This year, AH&LEF will disburse nearly $1.3 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, attract and retain quality industry professionals, and fund valuable research for lodging properties.

Both scholarships address the need to ensure a strong and diverse lodging workforce, said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/AH&LA CFO. The foresight of these two companies helps connect future minority lodging professionals with the financial means they need for success in their professional development.