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A senior College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management student, Danielle Earle will soon graduate with a degree that will lead her to working in one of the top industries in the country while also complimenting two of her passions in life.

“I love everything outdoors,” Danielle said. “Kayaking, hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing, water skiing, and on and on it can go. I absolutely love nature and being in it.”

Danielle also loves to travel and says that there are very few places that she wouldn’t be interested in traveling. “Learning about and interacting with different cultures fascinates me,” she said.

Danielle first started her college career at USC as a Criminal Justice major with plans to attend law school. “After working at a law firm for over a year, I realized that a normal 8-5 office job was not something that suited me,” she said.

Danielle made her way into the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management after speaking with an advisor about a change of major. “I knew that Tourism Management would be able to offer me a job that didn’t feel so much like work; one that I actually enjoyed going to on a daily basis. I’ve not once regretted switching majors.”

As part of her Tourism Management major, Danielle, like all other students in the major, was required to complete an internship before graduation. This past summer, she interned with Adventure Carolina, a Columbia based company that provides outdoor recreation and supplies. She held two positions as part of her internship; she worked as a river guide and in the company’s retail shop.

“[Adventure Carolina] gets most all of their business during the summer months, so there was never such thing as a dull day at work. I very much enjoyed my responsibility as a river guide,” she said. “It was work, don’t get me wrong- other people’s lives are in your hands when you’re guiding a kayak trip down the river- but a lot of the times it was mostly just fun. I got to be on the river in a kayak making conversation with new people.”

As an added bonus during her internship, the owners and managers of Adventure Carolina took extra time to explain management type things with Danielle and invited her to attend the Eastern Outdoor Representatives Association conference where she was able to meet many of the key players and suppliers in the industry.

As Danielle looks forward to graduation, she is focused on a goal she set before entering college. “I began college with the goal of graduating with honors and that remains my goal,” she said. “I would love to be able to graduate Summa Cum Laude, and thus far it’s looking like that’s a possibility.”

As for her plans after she graduates, Danielle said that “it’s all up in the air at this point,” but she will see what opportunities are presented and go from there. She added, “I would like to not be in South Carolina. I would honestly be happy in a lot of different careers, and so I have not narrowed it down all that much. After my internship this summer, I hope to have a better feel for if I want to work with a city’s CVB to promote tourism or if I want to have my own company in which I show destinations how to better market themselves or perhaps something completely different.”

As a senior, Danielle has some advice for students entering the major, especially those interested in Tourism Management. “Know that there are so many more dimensions to tourism than just traveling,” she said. “I would recommend matching tourism up with some other area such as business or marketing or real estate development.”

Dr. Rich Harrill, Director for the college’s International Tourism Research Institute agrees with Danielle. As one of her instructors and a mentor, he said, “Danielle is a model student for our major, using our tourism management major as a context for developing her own interests and skills. And yes, I agree with Danielle when she says tourism can be very complementary to other fields, disciplines, and majors.”

Danielle is currently exploring further education in marketing or international studies so that she can concentrate on a more specific field and better sell herself to future employers.

During her final year in college, Danielle has focused on meeting new people and try new things. “I feel like that is crucial to networking and getting me where I want to eventually be, even if I’m not completely sure of what that looks like right now,” she said.