When Jose Meza-Camarena applied for an internship at Hilton, he thought it might be like other student gigs that involved basic tasks, polite observation and maybe a reference for a résumé. Instead, it became an opportunity to gain real-world professional preparation.
“When you hear the word ‘intern,’ you think you’ll just be doing side work or helping someone, but I have real responsibilities. I manage six properties — I’m doing the actual work,” he said. “I’ve learned I’m more interested in finance than accounting. I wouldn’t have known that without this opportunity.”
Student success at the UofM is defined by the quality of programs and services that give students every tool they need to graduate and achieve their dreams. The Hilton Accounting and Financial Services (HAFS) internship program with the University helps students close the gap between potential and professional success.
The evolving partnership between Hilton and the UofM is designed to give students meaningful access to career-building experiences while they’re still in school. It also gives students a head start on the soft skills they’ll need after graduation.
For Hilton, that’s the point. “Our internships are real work,” said Mahogany Logan, an accounting manager at Hilton who oversees the HAFS program. “If they weren’t doing it, we would. So, we make sure the experience is meaningful — not just for us, but for them.”
That unique, hands-on approach has created a ripple effect across multiple departments at Hilton. Since 2015, Hilton has hired nine former interns full-time, seven of which came from the University of Memphis.
“When you talk about why this partnership matters, those are the success stories,” Logan said. “And it’s not just one. They’re all successes.”
This partnership program is designed to open doors to successful careers that students might have otherwise missed. Even so, the transition from classroom to workplace can be jarring for students who have never been in a corporate environment before. Logan sees that as part of the learning curve. “What I hear all the time is, ‘This is so different from school,’” she said. “And it is, but that’s the point. Internships are where it starts to click.”
What also clicks for students in the program is the atmosphere. The confidence-building culture at Hilton is a defining characteristic of Hilton’s internship experience and teaches students what to look for in their future careers. “Hilton encourages being a person, not just a worker,” Meza-Camarena said. “It’s not about having your head down all day — there’s real balance. We talk about life. We connect. That matters.”
Still, success isn’t automatic. Interns are challenged to advocate for themselves, communicate clearly and stay curious.
“Ask why,” said Bridget Sullivan, UofM alumna and director of Hotel Accounting at Hilton.
“Why are you doing this task? Where does it come from? Where does it go? That’s how you learn the business.”
“Internships are where it starts to click.”
– Mahogany Logan
Building these essential skills and providing real-world opportunities for students is something faculty and staff at UofM build into the student experience from day one. Marsha Roach, senior director of Distribution Services at Hilton and UofM alumna, recalls the skills she sharpened during her time as a student juggling coursework and an internship.
“Time management was one of the very important skills that I was able to sharpen at the University of Memphis as I was a full-time student and I was working part time at an internship,” she said. “Learning to balance both coursework and a professional career taught me to be intentional in how I allocate my time each day.”
Hilton selects interns from around the country and the pipeline for University of Memphis students to Hilton is ever-expanding. For Meza-Camarena, this internship opportunity has given him the information he needs to choose the future career he wants.
“A year ago, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “Now I know there’s a future here if I want it. I’ve seen what a good work environment looks like. I’ve seen what it feels like to belong.”
At the end of the day, this program is empowering students to learn, grow and determine who they want to be in the working world. Hilton’s HAFS internship experience gives students space to build skills that matter and take on real, confidence-building responsibilities. That kind of experience is critical and it’s why programs like this one are so important. If success means helping students recognize their own potential and rise to meet it, then this partnership is doing exactly what it was meant to do.
