UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Leann Piekut went on her first cruise when she was 11 years old, seeing shows and even meeting the cruise director during her first night aboard. Since that moment, she envisioned a career on a cruise ship. After leveraging numerous experiential learning opportunities as a Penn State student, she has fulfilled this lifelong dream and now works as a fun squad activity host for Carnival Cruise Line, managing events that create a positive guest experience.
Piekut graduated from Penn State in spring 2023 with a degree in recreation, park and tourism management.
“My degree has helped me with the programing aspect of the job,” Piekut said. “The background in recreation management and events planning helps me understand the flow of event order, guest experience and how people view a leader. I learned not only how to work in a group, but also how to lead in a group.”
As a third-year student, Piekut enrolled in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management’s Guest Activities Practicum, which ran in partnership with Marriott. During the practicum, she and her classmates had an opportunity to travel to Las Vegas as well as Newport Beach, California and Marriott’s Shadow Ridge. She met with general managers of different properties and observed how site design and activities affected the guest experience, or how customers interacted with the business during their trip.
“The first few weeks we learned about Marriott Vacation Club and Marriott Worldwide, as well as the different companies they own,” Piekut said. “We also learned about activity programing and how the company interacts with different audiences. At the end of the course, we developed an activity plan, which detailed the costs, benefits and how to run a new activity that the business can use to attract customers. We presented this to the general manager and recreation manager.”
This coming fall, the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management will offer its Guest Activities Practicum in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line. Within this three-credit course taken with other coursework, students will apply operational and programmatic aspects of activity and leadership while delving into the management strategies of guest services. Students will spend a week during the semester on a cruise, learning firsthand from industry professionals.
“I love working with people,” Piekut said. “Interacting with people is a lot of fun. My degree in recreation, park and tourism management taught me how to be confident and the importance of inclusivity in recreation.”
When Piekut neared her spring 2023 graduation date, she met with associate teaching professor Patricia Kleban, who helped connect her with Carnival Cruise Line. Becoming an intern at the company upon graduation, Piekut soon after moved into a permanent role.
While a student at Penn State, Piekut also had opportunities to intern at Tussey Mountain Ski Resort, Penn State Conferences and Institutes, and Marriott Vacation Club at Legend’s Edge in Panama City, Florida. During graduation, she served as the student marshal for the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management within the College of Health and Human Development.
“The faculty at the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management are so supportive and caring about student success,” Piekut said. “The professors are there to see you succeed.”