Merani Scholarship Awarded to First-Year Student Abigail Flick

First-year student Abigail Flick was selected as the 2024 recipient of Niagara University's Merani Scholarship, a collaboration between the university and the Merani Hotel Group to provide opportunities for high-level experiential learning in the hospitality industry. She will receive an annual scholarship of $7,500 and paid rotating internships at Merani properties.

The Lancaster, N.Y., native is enrolled in the College of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport Management's event/tourism and meeting management program, with plans to pursue a career in wedding planning.

"My goal in the hospitality/tourism field is to make people smile," she said. "I specifically have a passion for event planning and want to make every single person feel like they're the only person in the world. Making people happy is very important to me, and having a career in doing exactly that is one of my life goals."

The Merani Scholarship was established in 2018 to synergize efforts to develop the outstanding hospitality leaders of tomorrow. Recipients train and work alongside Merani executives at one of the organization's five hotel properties in the Niagara Falls region--three on the American side of the falls and two in Ontario, Canada. Merani also operates a food truck and four restaurants. This exceptional opportunity augments the knowledge gained in the classroom.

Niagara University's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management offers undergraduate degree programs in hotel and restaurant management, sport and recreation management, and tourism and event management, as well as a graduate program in sport management. To learn more, please call 716.286.8279 or visit www.niagara.edu/hospitality.