Frostburg State's Audrey Aron Interns at InterContinental David Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel

2017 Nov 6

You can tell Audrey Aron is a people pleaser with her wide smile.

That was put to the test to see how the Frostburg State University recreation and parks management major could make guests feel at ease after long international flights, wanting to get a good night's sleep at the InterContinental David Tel Aviv Hotel & Resort in Israel.

Aron's nightly courtesy calls to guests (sometimes to every single room in the hotel) were one way she developed quick-thinking customer service skills.

"Being able to resolve problems on your feet, being able to deal with different types of people, it was cool being able to learn different tactics to make sure they're happy with what we are providing them," the Gaithersburg, Md., resident said. "That can apply to almost any job."

One day she took matters in her own hands to help a Canadian man who had a rough travel day. He spent 30 hours on a flight and was still waiting for his luggage to arrive at his room 45 minutes after checking in. With no bellhops around in the middle of the night, she took the bags up to the guest herself after she noticed that he was in the hotel's top VIP program. Aron could see how a small gesture improved a guest's experience.

"He was very appreciative. We ended up having a really great conversation for 45 minutes. I helped him get everything he needed, get him situated," she said. "He was very, very grateful for that one interaction. It counts. It really does."

Her duties at the luxury 25-floor hotel and resort included taking care of VIPs' requests and needs, all with her limited Hebrew, and making sure pilots and air crew have everything they need so they can check in and go straight to sleep. The busy tourism season also brought in athletes who were competing in the Maccabiah Games, which is dubbed the "Jewish Olympics."

Aron, who practices Judaism, loves Israel and recently completed her birthright trip in January. The internship was facilitated through Masa Israel Journey's Career Israel, which included a $1,000 scholarship to help offset her travel expenses. She jumped at the opportunity to return for an internship that she lined up herself. She was able to visit an artisan town she fell in love with called Tzfat, as well as tour Jerusalem, the Western Wall and other holy landmarks. Being in Israel also allowed her to have a full Shabbat experience, when businesses would close each week for Judaism's day of rest.

"It brought me back to my roots, and it was really nice to be with people who have one common ground," she said. "We'd do Shabbat meals, and it made me feel at home when I wasn't."

After graduation in spring 2018, Aron plans to find a job with an after-school program around Washington, D.C., to help as a launching pad for her career. Her dream is to create her own after-school program for children in at-risk neighborhoods in a city like Portland, Ore.

"It starts with the youth," Aron said. "It makes a huge impact to make sure kids are in a safe environment, they're doing everything they need to be doing and are on the right track."

Aron, who studied a community program delivery concentration within her recreation and parks management major, credited her caring professors for helping prepare her for the internship and her future career.

"My professors have just been absolutely incredible," said the FSU senior." I could not have picked a better major to have fit my personality and fit what I like to do."

Aron is also a sister in Delta Zeta, a past-president of College Pan-Hellenic Conference and is a member of Jewish student club Hillel.