Internship with Campus Dining
Position: Marketing and Events Intern
Department: Auburn University Campus Dining
Supervisor: Mr. Glenn Loughridge, Director of Campus Dining and Athletic Concessions
This page captures my internship journey with Campus Dining at Auburn University during Summer 2025. As a Hospitality Management major with a concentration in Event Management, this internship gave me the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a real campus dining environment—working directly with professionals on marketing, service operations, and strategic planning.
My responsibilities ranged from supporting social media campaigns to assisting with service audits, analyzing dining trends, and participating in tabling events during Camp War Eagle. It was a dynamic, hands-on experience that allowed me to engage with both operational and strategic sides of a hospitality department that serves thousands of students daily.
What I Experienced and Learned
During this internship, I was exposed to various departments and tasks that aligned closely with my career interests. Some of the key areas I explored include:
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Guest Experience and Service Management
I shadowed front-of-house teams at The Edge Dining Center, helped collect guest feedback, and observed real-time service operations. These experiences sharpened my awareness of how small adjustments in flow, signage, or communication can significantly improve guest satisfaction.
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Marketing and Communications
I worked with the Tiger Dining Marketing Team to create promotional content for Instagram and TikTok, assisted in crafting tabling signage, and contributed to idea sessions for themed campaigns. I also had the chance to observe how student feedback data is used to shape messaging and outreach.
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Data Analysis and Business Intelligence
As part of my internship project, I participated in reviewing business reports and sales data, identifying trends in student preferences, dining location performance, and feedback patterns. I helped create summaries and visualization materials that contributed to broader planning conversations.
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Sustainability and Local Sourcing
I explored how Campus Dining integrates sustainable practices by researching local sourcing strategies, waste reduction audits, and signage promoting sustainability to guests. This area deepened my interest in environmentally conscious hospitality operations.
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Team Leadership and Operations Observation
I observed pre-shift team huddles, daily briefings, and back-of-house coordination efforts. These moments helped me better understand leadership roles, team morale, and the behind-the-scenes systems that support a high-volume dining service.
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Cultural Food Programming
With my Indonesian background and bilingual skills, I was encouraged to share ideas for potential international food promotions. Although I did not complete an international dining event, I gained appreciation for how Campus Dining supports multicultural engagement through food.
Strategic Reflections and Business Insights
I also took part in reviewing Auburn’s Campus Dining Business Review reports, where I compared ARAMARK’s long-term goals with actual progress made between 2017 and 2025. Through that analysis, I learned how hospitality leaders:
Use tools like Power BI to improve operations
Identify opportunities for new dining concepts like Inked Tacos and Flametown OG Chicken
Respond to student concerns around wait times, communication, and dietary inclusion
Balance innovation with data security and student trust
This exposure gave me a strategic view of how hospitality organizations plan, measure, and evolve over time—skills I plan to carry into my future career.
Why This Internship Matters to Me
This experience helped me build confidence, grow professionally, and clarify the kind of hospitality environment I want to be part of. Whether I am working in a hotel, resort, or eventually aboard a cruise ship, I now have stronger insight into what it takes to lead with empathy, operate with intention, and make decisions backed by both data and heart.
I am incredibly thankful to Mr. Glenn Loughridge and the entire Campus Dining team for investing in my growth, challenging me to think critically, and showing me what modern, student-centered hospitality looks like in action.
