Cheyney's Yuhanna Muhammed Making a Mark in Hotel & Restaurant Management

Cheyney University senior Yuhanna Muhammed walked away from the 26th Annual National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) Conference & Career Fair earlier this month with three paid summer internship offers and two full-time job offers upon graduation in December.  The event was held on his birthday weekend in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. The Hotel, Restaurant, & Tourism Management (HRTM) major snagged a paid internship last year when he attended the 25th annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  He spent last summer and fall working for six months for Disney's Polynesian Village Resort in Central Florida. Disney gave him a stipend to relocate, paid his apartment security deposit, and paid him generously for a management internship that changed his life forever.  

The 23-year-old ran Captain Cooks Hawaiian-theme quick service restaurant which served about 2000 guests a day. He worked through three peak periods including the Food & Wine Festival, marathon weekends, 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s.  He even helped add new menu items at Captain Cook's, aided with renovations, organized a grand reopening, and opened a new high end gourmet ice cream parlor--Pineapple Lanai--contributing  portion size ideas, menu boards and menu items. 

Muhammed was one of 4000 applicants at last February's NSMH Conference to compete for the fully paid internship at Disney.  In the end, he was one of 150 students internationally to secure the job.

"It was life changing," he said. "Disney has a different way of teaching leadership. Our training was so thorough. They taught us how to be Disney leaders who understand our purpose as guest service. Disney leadership isn’t about leading on your own—it’s about group leadership and leading as a team, looking at the bigger picture," he explains.  

Disney offered him a full time job but he opted to finish school in December 2015.  "They told me that they will hire me as a manager if I come back. It’s like my second home," he claims.

Disney paid for Muhammed's national food and safety certification for managers which is good for five years until 2019. His experience with the internationally known company catapulted him at this year's NSMH Conference.  He got four job interviews and some very prestigious offers.

Sodexo, Aaramark and Hyatt offered him fully-paid summer internships.  Apple and Starbucks offered him full-time management positions upon graduation. In fact, Apple offered him a job overseas in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf because of his Disney experience and the fact that he speaks Farsi, the most widely spoken persian language, thanks to growing up in a Muslim family.

His advice for underclassmen?  "Do your best, make no excuse.  I had things standing in my way but I persevered. I had a lot of obstacles that I didn’t think I could overcome. It was extremely hard. My advisor and my professors helped me a lot.

"I want to run a 5-star restaurant," Muhammed shared. "I like luxury, full service restaurants. I might want to own a franchise one day like Cheesecake Factory or Capital Grille--anything four diamonds or 4 stars and up."

Muhammed spent his birthday weekend interviewing with some of the most prestigious Food and Beverage Companies in the world and proving that he's worth the investment. He came away with some of the best presents for his 24th birthday... job offers! He credits Cheyney's HRTM Program with giving him the foundation necessary to make it in the industry.

"Some people try to discredit the University and our professors but we have some of the best in the field. Professor Herbert Black is amazing. He has a lot of experience as a General Manager at Denny's. You ask and he’s done it. He is amazing. He knows food and beverage like the back of his hand. He’s a great resource and he doesn’t hold anything back. He lets you know how it really is, how hard it is and how important it is to be on top of everything that you do. Dr. Ivan Turnipseed," he continued, "is amazing. He personally was my biggest mentor. He was always there if you needed him. If I called him at 10 pm at night, he would take the call. There were days I thought I was going to quit. He was understanding. He motivated and encouraged me. He doesn’t take no for an answer.  He constantly pushes you. Professor Krystal Peters was great. She was always there with some advice.  She always called to check up on me. The whole department checked my resume and cover letter. They were very meticulous--making sure that we’re representing Cheyney and ourselves well."

Now 24 years old, Muhammed is determined to be a role model for his siblings. The former marketing major loves working with people.  "HRTM is an industry where I can work with people, make a lot of money and be around people who are always in a good mood, usually on vacation, enjoying themselves on their down time."

While at Disney, Muhammed's guests were immersed in Hawaiian culture.  "I’m still saying aloha to people today," he laughs, "and mahalo which means thank you."  As a Disney employee, he had to where couqi nuts around his neck to signfy that he was a Disney leader.  "When you crack open the coqui nuts," he explains, "you get oil which is the light that shines the way. So, basically, I led the way for my team."

After five weeks of training at Disney, Muhammed was "100% on my own managing all three restaurants--including cash handling, food and safety, a lot of guest services, conflict resolution, dealing with a unionized environment, working 12-15 hours a day with no overtime pay since he was paid a salary---and he even had to fire an employee after reprimanding did not work.

Remember the name Yuhanna Muhammed.  He is a soon-to-be Cheyney alumnus who will make the University family quite proud.

Source: http://www.cheyney.edu/