HTMP1 SY2022-23

Year-End Reflection

05.17.2023

1. Describe at least two of the most important lessons you learned from our class (refer to your textbooks and also on life).

One important lesson I learned from this class pertains to applying for jobs. I learned that it is important to consider a company's benefits when looking for jobs. I also learned how to behave in an interview, which had helped me to get a position at my current job. Another lesson I learned from this school year deals with saving money. I learned about how it is better to buy a used car, as an expensive, new car's value depreciates once you pull out of the car place. 

2.  What were your most memorable experiences from our class?

My most memorable experience from this class this school year was our field trip to tour Dusit Thani. It was one of the only fun things we got to do this year, especially since it was a chance to reconnect with out classmates in the other period. Another memorable experience was serving food at the Japan Autumn Festival. I met some really cool people, and it was fun serving customers and preparing the food in a fast manner. The food was also really delicious.

3.  If I had to redo my school year, what would I do differently?

If I had to redo my school year, what I would do differently would be to focus more in my classes. Because I've occupied myself with all these clubs this year, I started falling off-track, and my grades are not as good as last year's, when I was not in any clubs. I regret losing focus and being so careless about my grades.

4.  Rate your effort for our class (5 being the highest to 1 being the lowest) and describe your one challenge and one success during this school year.

I would rate my effort a 5. I have always participated in class discussions as well as work with my classmates

this school year. One challenge I had this school year was getting an A in my pre-calculus class. Because of my

teacher's grading style, my grade is low, and I believe the number does not fully show what I am capable of. 

One success this school year was getting accepted into the NHS. It has always been of dream of mine since my 

elementary years, and so I am so glad I got to fulfill them.

HosTS Red Cross Club First Aid/CPR/AED Training by Mr. Ambros Constantino

04.06.2023

Dusit Thani Field Trip

02.24.2023

What did I learn? What surprised me? What is my reaction and overall evaluation of the hotel?

I learned so much from our field trip to Dusit Thani. In the two-hour tour, we dove deeply into many parts of the hotel such as front desk, back-of-the-house (BOH), and housekeeping. I learned more about the Thai culture and the different ways to greet people. I also learned that Dusit Thani has the biggest ballroom on Guam and that it can hold up to 1000 people. Another thing I learned is that the days the hotel gets busy is from December 27 to January 24.

The tour of the 5-star hotel was full of many surprises. One of the main things that surprised me was when we went to up to the Club Lounge, which is on the highest floor of the building. I was surprised by the amazing view of Tumon as well as the fact that Dusit Thani is the tallest building on Guam. I was also surprised by the beautiful villas the hotel offers. The biggest one, which costs about 7-10k, was really huge and even had its own lawn. Another thing that surprised me was that Dusit Thani currently owns 6 properties. These include Dusit Thani Hotel, Dusit Thani Beach Resort, Bayview Hotel, Sea Grill, Underwater World, and the Plaza. 

I was very amazed by the many parts of the hotel. I really hope I get to attend an event in the ballroom, or even visit to get a massage at the spa. I would give the hotel a 5-star rating, but at one point in the tour, I did come across some trash in the biggest villa, which is quite disappointing. 

2023 Freshmen Recruitment

02.08.2023

On February 8 2023, my classmates, Jerry and Ryan, and I promoted our GCC Hospitality program to this year's freshmen, the clas of 2026. We showcased a bunch of aspects of the program, such as the benefits, fun activities, and opportunities offered throughout the year. My group and I did an amazing job presenting, thanks to our great teamwork and practice to prepare for this presentation. 

I believe we did a perfect job presenting to our freshmen audience. Our presentation went without a hitch, and we were able to capture their attention. A lot of the students provided positive feedback, which really encouraged me to keep doing my best. After both presentations, I have been hearing positive word-of-mouth feedback, and so I believe we were able to convince a lot of students to join the program.

Furthermore, I believe my classmates and I did an amazing job presenting, which I am very proud of. I look forward to seeing the outcome of our presentation, as well as next year's presentation. Something I would do differently to showcase our program is to include a video in our slide presenation. I feel that it would better captivate the audience.

Everfi: Financial Literacy Course

02.02.2023

1. How useful was this course to you?

I found EverFi to be a very useful interactive lesson tool for learning about financial literacy and helping me prepare for my future. Because the lesson was created for an audience targeted at my age group, I was able to fully understand the information with no problems. It was useful that they added interactive games and activities, which really boosted my learning. 

2. What were the easiest and most difficult modules?

Personally, I found Budgeting to be the easiest module as it primarily focuses on saving money and avoiding overspending, which are things I am already familiar with. It is understandable to prioritize needs rather than wants. As for the most difficult module, I would say it is Managing Debit and Credit. I have an idea of the concept behind debit vs. credit, but not fully to where I am confident.

3. What additional topic would you like for this course to cover? (investments, Social Security, retirement, etc.)

An additional topic I would like for this course to cover would be retirement. I think it is always important to plan ahead so that you are prepared for your future, especially since this topic is rarely talked about.

4. Why would you recommend this course?

I would recommend this course because it provides helpful information on how to manage finances, which is an issue, especially in today's society. This course also makes learning fun as it provides interactive games and activities that would not only capture the audience's attention, but to also help understand the lesson well. Because this course is very tech savvy, I definitely recommend it for teenagers like me. But because EverFi also makes these lessons free and easy to use, anyone can use it. 

Japan Autumn Festival

11.19.2022

What

On Saturday, November 19, I took the amazing opportunity to serve at the Japan Autumn Festival for Chef Kai’s booth. I was stationed in the corn booth along with my friends, Jerry, Ashley, Clarise, and a really nice Joinus employee, Joriz. 

So What

My experience working in the booth was really fun. The process of packaging orders in a quick manner felt like I was playing a video game. First, we were to take the customers’ orders. After doing the math and calculating how many tickets were needed, we went ahead and gave them their order. Preparing the corn was intense. We were handed scorching corn that came straight from the grill to package into the plastic containers. Because there was a long line and customers were waiting 5-20 minutes for each batch of corn, we tried to package as fast as possible. Although our shift was originally 4-8, we went ahead and stayed back for another few minutes as we felt bad for leaving Joriz with the long line of customers. 

Now What

I really enjoyed the experience. Interacting with customers and packaging food has definitely boosted my interest in working in the food industry for my first part-time job. Something I wish we were able to do differently would be to have more chefs grilling the corn. Because of the lack of chefs, the process of corn getting distributed to customers was really slow, resulting in the long line that stretched from nearly halfway to the other side of the festival. Other than that, there is nothing else I believe I should have done differently. I am very proud of my crew and I, for I believe we did an amazing job considering how slow the corn-making was.

Total SL Hours: 5

Ritidian Beach Cleanup

10.01.2022

What

On October 1st, I participated in one of Mr. Chong’s monthly cleanups at Ritidian Beach. I went ahead and partnered up with my friends, Ashley and Jerry, and we were able to pick up a good amount of trash. Fortunately, because nobody really goes to Ritidian, there was not much trash. Not only was I able to gain service learning hours from this activity, but I also got to enjoy one of Guam’s many scenic beauties.

So What

The purpose of this activity is to practice keeping the island clean. Simple practices such as picking up some trash every day can benefit the environment in many ways. This was also my first time going to Ritidian Beach, and so it was also a new experience for me.

Now What

Participating in this activity has made me more conscious of my actions and the environment. Now, I make sure to pick up any trash I see in front of me. It has also made me want to participate in more cleanup activities offered throughout the school year. I was also to discover a new place to swim.
Total SL Hours: 3