The International Spa Association (ISPA) recently announced that it will be awarding LaTesha Council from Alexandria, VA, with the Mary Tabacchi Scholarship. The award will be presented during the general session of the 27th annual ISPA Conference & Expo, October 16-18, 2017, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. With this award, Council will receive $5,000, for educational expenses, as well as complimentary registration, travel and hotel accommodations to attend the conference, a one-year ISPA student membership, and a mentor who will help her as she navigates through her career aspirations.
The Scholarship, created in 2006, was named in honor of Mary Tabacchi, Ph.D., RD, and Professor Emerita for the School of Hotel Administration in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. Council expressed her gratitude and excitement over winning the scholarship, saying, “I am truly honored to have been selected to receive the 2017 Mary Tabacchi Scholarship. I am committed to completing my education and making a positive impact in the spa industry. Thanks to the generosity of the scholarship, I am one step closer to achieving my goals. Council is completing her second year at the master of tourism administration program at George Washington University with a concentration in hospitality management and plans to graduate in December 2017. After graduation, she hopes to work in spa operations and development and to own and operate a spa consulting business.