The Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) named School of Tourism and Hospitality Management sophomore Veronica Giles the recipient of the 2016 Delores M. Andy Scholarship.
Giles, a Sport and Recreation Management major, received the scholarship at the PRPS Annual Conference, which was held March 13-16 at the Seven Springs Resort, in Champion, Pa.
Given annually to a student from STHM who emphasizes community and urban recreation, the Delores M. Andy Scholarship honors the legacy and industry dedication of Andy, a longtime STHM Professor and a former Commissioner of Recreation in Philadelphia who died in June 2015. The scholarship covers all expenses associated with the recipient’s attendance at the PRPS Annual Conference.
Giles’ initial interest in choosing Sport and Recreation Management as her major stemmed from her managing of the football and boys volleyball teams at Eastern High School, in Voorhees Township, N.J. Also, she was heavily involved in a number of recreation programs in her hometown.
She has accumulated professional experience in the Sport Management realm, serving as a recruiting intern for Temple University’s football team for each of the last two seasons. In that role, she works with the team to offer guided tours of Temple’s campus and its practice facility for prospective student-athletes.
“I’m incredibly proud to have received the Delores M. Andy Scholarship,” said Giles. “Most of all, I was humbled by the hospitality shown to me by the professionals from the park and recreation fields. To have been brought into their society with such open arms, I am truly thankful.”
The president of Temple’s chapter of the Event Planning Association, Giles sees a future hasn’t determined yet whether she would like to pursue a career in either the Sport Management or Recreation Management field. A personal interest, she said, would be in developing the programming for a municipality’s department of recreation.
Giles added that she was impressed by STHM’s network of alumni in the recreation field, including Daniel Russell, BS ’97, the Director of Upper Merion Parks and Recreation, in Pennsylvania.
“From my first days on campus, everyone has always said that STHM is a close-knit community, between the students, faculty and alumni and I had a first-hand experience with that,” Giles said. “Overall, I came away from the PRPS Conference feeling like I belonged and it was an honor to receive the Andy Scholarship.”