Stories of Our Graduates

ДонцоваMy name is Victoria Dontsova, I am the sales manager of M1 club hotel, Alexandrovskiy hotel and Villa le Premier. I graduated from the Odesa National University of Technology in 2017 and received a master’s degree in hotel and restaurant business.

Of course, higher education allowed me not only to form in my head a system of basic specialized knowledge and skills, but also to gain valuable life experience. First of all, interaction with teachers and students taught me to communicate in an adult way, that is, to try to find compromises and accept people as they are.
During sessions and exams, the desire to “close” everything on time instilled in me a sense of responsibility, without which it is impossible to do in sales, as, indeed, in any other area.

Returning to the so-called “academic” knowledge, it is worth noting that a lot of practical exercises with the study of DSTU and standards, a number of open lectures with business representatives, laboratory classes on culinary art, bar business brought me as close as possible to the reality of the hotel and restaurant industry. Special attention was paid to the annual familiarization and production practices, during which I had the opportunity to see all the previously studied processes from the inside and live.

Obviously, being with teachers in daily close communication, I identified for myself those who influenced me the most. I would like to express special gratitude to Novichkova T.P., the supervisor of my diploma. She encouraged me to express my opinion, taught me to delve into the essence of all processes and phenomena, helped to structure the presentation of information. Thank you for your experience and wisdom!

Victoria Dontsova, sales manager of M1 club hotel, Alexandrovskiy hotel and Villa le Premier

 

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МелкумянI clearly remember the first couple in the first year of ONUT on the specialty technology of public catering: a question from the lecturer Novichkova T.P. was in the context of “well, what are the future directors of restaurants, do you know how to become one and then what to do?” We thought we knew: to lead something is not to carry bags. And Novichkova did not calm down, they say, an intelligent student is looking for a job after the third year, and in order to become a director, you have to start all over again: peel potatoes and run around as a waiter – as if she looked into the water.

And this scheme works) 11 years have passed since graduation from the academy, I work as a restaurant manager, successfully applying the skills and abilities of planning and organizing work. But the time has come for changes and external circumstances are making adjustments – the restaurant business has changed.
In March last year (at the start of the pandemic), we worked side-by-side with colleagues, managers and chefs of our various restaurants and cafes – they cooked, collected orders, fed doctors and people at risk. We worked on take-out and delivery: in masks, glasses, gloves and with love for their work, despite the circumstances. We are definitely living a new life with new tasks and conditions in it.

Alisa Melkumyan, Tavernetta Restaurant Manager

 

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photo_2019-04-23_17-14-45Back in the 9th grade, I already knew that I would study at ONUT and at the specialty “Hotel and restaurant business”. My choice was based on the prestige of the university, reviews and also the opportunity to practice abroad, because with this opportunity you can be sure of the attractiveness of your resume after the academy. The training gave me a full idea of ​​how the hospitality industry is organized, but most importantly – I was able to put my knowledge into practice.

After COVID-19 I returned to Ukraine, and for the last 2 years I worked as a licensed guide in Dubai, UAE, in the company “Anex Tour”. Behind me is the experience of working in Turkey and Thailand, which I passed as a student at the academy, because after the 2nd year I got an internship from the academy to the company “Anex Tour” in Turkey, and if I had the opportunity to share my history, I also want to thank our teachers, I remember how impressed I was with how well they understand their field, each of them had experience in practice behind them, each put his hand, his ideas to make our faculty better , various events, fairs, festivals. (And I was an activist, so I know what I’m talking about.) And the proof that I really appreciate my choice is that my younger sister this year also entered our academy. a choice that I support at all 1000%.

Anastasia Gorkun, assistant director of the cafe network Lazy Crazy

 

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Halyavka_V I decided to enroll in ONUT in the specialty “Hotel and restaurant business”, as I always loved to communicate with new people, loved languages ​​and understood that this is a dynamic industry where I can make money.

In ONUT, after the first year, she went to her first international internship from the travel company “Tez tour” in Turkey, where she gained invaluable experience in the field of hospitality. Without stopping at what she had achieved, she continued her work in this company in the second year, then in the third year during the holidays she went to work in Thailand, but from another company. Returning to Ukraine, from 2017 until now, I work as a senior administrator in the best five-star boutique hotel in our city – “Hotel de Paris Odessa MGallery”.

Today I can say with confidence that I feel like a real professional in the hotel business, I enjoy my work.

I am very grateful to the Faculty of Innovative Food Technologies and Restaurant and Hotel Business for the opportunity to take part in international practices and gain the invaluable practical experience, without which it would be impossible to achieve the level of skill I have today!

Khaliavka Valeria, senior administrator of a boutique hotel«Hotel de Paris Odessa MGallery»

 

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Zorin_MaksimHello everybody! My name is Maxim Zorin, I am a graduate of the Odesa National University of Technology, majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Business. For me, a good restaurant is a place where people feel happy. But to create this happiness, create magic around the guest of your restaurant and at the same time make a profit, you need to be really a professional, because otherwise nothing will happen.
That’s why I entered our Odesa National University of Technology and never regretted it. It gave me the opportunity to expand my worldview, gain knowledge and skills, find new friends. And most importantly, I began to study French in the first year at the Department of Foreign Languages ​​at the Academy. This gave me the opportunity to go on two professional internships, gain tremendous experience and get acquainted with a new culture that I liked and coincided with my professional interests. After graduating from the academy, I decided to go to a hospitality school in Tanon, France. After three years of successful study, he received a diploma and now works as a chef at the French gastronomic restaurant “Ducasse sur Seine” in Paris, which was opened by the legendary chef Alain Ducasse. The restaurant is a river ship, which is 100% powered by electricity, completely silent. Twice a day, the floating restaurant goes for walks along the sights of the city on the most beautiful Avenue in Paris – the Seine. Every day our team works hard in the restaurant, we want to get one Michelin star in 2021. I really like working, because I gain invaluable experience, deepen my knowledge of French cuisine, which I will need to participate in future professional projects. So, better ahead!
I want to say that the Odesa National University of Technology has become a great starting point for me to achieve my goals! I wish the staff and students of the academy all the best!

Maxim Zorin, gastronomic French restaurant “Ducasse sur Seine” in Paris

 

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Dubeniuk_J.My love for the restaurant business began as a child. From an early age I traveled a lot, I enjoyed visiting new countries, their culture, architecture and, of course, food. I was very inspired by small cozy restaurants in different styles. Over the years, this childhood dream has become a goal in life. After successfully passing the final exams at school, I entered the Faculty of Innovative Food Technology and Restaurant and Hotel Business at ONUT, which fascinated me even more in my future profession.

From the first year I was a very active student, participated in various exhibitions, open lectures, conferences and attended many master classes on hotel and restaurant business. I was one of the few students who went on an internship in Europe and it was a unique prospect – to get a certificate from the Czech School of Restaurant and Hotel Business in Prague. After this internship I realized that I want to live and study in Europe. So when I got home, I started working harder, because I had a goal to go abroad and get more practical experience in the field of hospitality.

As with everyone, sometimes there were times when I doubted my choice of profession, but thanks to the support of my parents, I overcame all my fears and doubts. Everything changed when I first went to work as an administrator in a restaurant, it was my first experience. Dedicated work in the restaurant helped me learn a lot, earn a good reputation, as well as expand the circle of acquaintances.

After experience in the restaurant business, I came to the conclusion that I am ready for more and ready to climb the stairs to my goal. At first I realized that I needed to improve my language. I chose Poland, namely the city of Wroclaw. It was difficult for me to move because I was already used to work and my surroundings. But after a while I was grateful to everyone who helped me with this. It was here that I realized even more that I was moving in the right direction. During the year I studied the programs of all universities, academies in the field of hotel and restaurant business and stayed at the Barcelona School of Management. I liked this university because it offered an entrepreneurship development program for students who want to start their own business. I very much doubted whether my knowledge would be enough to enter. At that time, I had already completed a master’s degree in Ukraine and received my first diploma of full higher education in “Hotel and Restaurant Business”.

Thanks to the support of parents and friends, I was able to pass all the master’s exams at the Faculty of Business Personnel Management in Barcelona and get my master’s degree in two and a half years.

Have my goals changed? No, I became even closer to them!

I am currently working in a 5-star hotel, gaining new practical experience, but my main goal of opening my own restaurant continues to inspire and stimulate me to new victories. I am grateful to my family for eternal support, friends, colleagues, teachers who met on my way, especially Tamara Petrovna Novichkova, associate professor of hotel and restaurant business ONTU. Tamara Petrovna like no other can give such a life mood and will monitor your professional success even after graduating from university. It is very inspiring to new achievements! Thank you for believing in the student who sometimes woke up the first couple. Thanks to everyone who met and will meet on my way to the goal!

Dubenyuk Julia, senior hotel administrator in Premier Odesa Wellness Club

 

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Osipova_O.It was an unforgettable time of student years, from bachelor’s degree to master’s degree!

Learning is closely intertwined with fun and unforgettable emotions. Mention even participation in the All-Ukrainian Olympiad in “Hotel and Restaurant Business”! Monitoring of innovations and innovative ideas in this field, the very process of birth of the idea of ​​your project and the realization that you can create something unique in a couple of hours and of course the taste of victory. And emotions after the announcement of the results of the defense of the master’s qualification work cannot be expressed in words! It was that unforgettable moment of feeling victory, satisfaction with the results of their work on “excellent”, something worth working for!

Of course, in five and a half years a lot has been experienced, except for competitions and contests. For example, the search for departments and classrooms at the beginning of the school year (in the first week all the corridors seemed mazes!) The first session (everyone was preparing for it, as the last time and in the following years it became easier).

In general, my academy is not only an institution that gave me the opportunity to get a higher education in the field of hospitality, but also a place where I gained a huge life experience, which was very useful in adult life!

Osipova Alexandra, hotel “Atlantic”

 

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Проскурня К.Time passed quickly after graduating from the academy and today, having a huge experience in organizing and managing the restaurant business, I remember with a smile my best carefree student years at the Odesa National University of Technology.

I will never forget our student competition of thematic tables within the discipline “Organization of restaurant business” under the guidance of Assoc. Novichkova TP Our team came up with the most original themed table with pirates and a live parrot in a cage. Especially for the presentation of the thematic table, we brought real pirate costumes from the Odesa film studio. It was a lot of fun to play a real pirate with a talkative parrot. Our pirate parrot shouted “Piastres” during the performance, which made students and teachers very happy.

After a summer internship in the third year, I had a turning point in understanding my profession and my vocation. I suddenly realized that I wanted to know everything about the restaurant business and started making money in restaurants and cafes.

As a result of hard work, the desire to constantly improve myself, I achieved my goal and became a professional in the restaurant business. Later, I began to receive offers from the leading restaurateurs of our city for management positions in restaurants. The next step in my professional growth was the experience of starting restaurants from scratch to opening. The plans are to constantly improve the organization of the restaurant business, launch new projects.

I am very grateful to the academy and the teaching staff for the opportunity to find my vocation, to become a professional.

The manager of the restaurant “Monica” Kirill Proskurnya

 

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музиченкоHello everybody! My name is Anastasia Muzychenko, I am the sales manager of Maestro Hotel Management, which includes three Odesa hotels: Alexandrovskiy hotel – 4 stars, M1 Club Hotel – 5 stars and Villa le Premier – 5 stars .

Even in the first year, getting acquainted with the hotel industry, this industry interested me, choosing a hotel or restaurant business has always perceived them in the complex. She began to gain her experience in the third year, after undergoing an internship at the hotel “Alexandrovsky”. This business hotel, located in the city center, has a high quality of service and professionalism, where I was able to put into practice the theoretical knowledge gained on the basis of ONUT. I started working in a restaurant as a waiter, combining work with training, then became an administrator and after graduating I got the position of Restaurant Manager, where I was responsible for the restaurant team of 10-12 people, as well as the lobby bar at the hotel. Two years later, I moved to the sales department to the position of Conference Service Manager, where I organized events (conferences, seminars, presentations, etc.) on the basis of two hotels Alexandrovskiy hotel and M1 Club Hotel.

With the development of the hotel chain, I was offered the position of Sales Manager at Maestro Hotel Management, which currently manages three hotels, and plans to expand the number of hotels in the future. Today I sell rooms and organize group accommodation, I am responsible for holding conferences.

For 7 years I went from a waiter to a top manager. And I can say with confidence that I made the right choice of field to realize my abilities (because at the time of entering the university I dreamed of becoming a prosecutor (wink), but something went wrong).

I am very grateful to all my ONUT teachers who invested in me the knowledge and skills that helped me not only to start my professional career in the hotel and restaurant industry, but also to successfully build a career!

Anastasia Muzychenko, Sales Manager in “Мaestro Hotel Management”

 

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ГіоєваWhen I finished school, I knew that I would become a professional in my field, but then it was difficult for me to imagine in what field. There was a huge choice of professions in front of me, but when I saw the specialty “Hotel and restaurant business” at ONUT, I understood everything for myself: “This is what I need.” And what was my happiness when I entered our academy, and even on a budget (my parents were especially happy ;-)). The student years flew by very quickly, but as interesting and informative as possible. From the second year I realized that I am more interested in the field of hospitality than restaurant and I began to get acquainted in more depth and learn all the intricacies of the profession. Thank you to all the teachers from the department, who shared their knowledge and experience, organized for us a fantastic practice in the Czech Republic and Germany, which added even more desire and inspiration to do just the hotel business. In the 3rd year I got a job in a place where I could prove myself and succeeded – Geneva Resort Hotel. As we were told at the academy: “The position must be earned through hard work and dedication.” So I started working as an administrator of SPiR. I remember my first shift as now, it was evening, I had a state of absolute calm and satisfaction and I realized that I was in my place. And this feeling does not leave me until now. After years of work, during which I gained experience and knowledge, I became the manager of Geneva Resort Hotel. My task is to organize the work of the hotel and make the rest of our guests unsurpassed, for this I and my team do everything possible and impossible. I received my achievements in my professional life thanks to the training of the best teachers of ONUT and the hotel manager, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity to prove myself in management. They gave me many lessons and inspired me in my professional activity, and now I teach and share my knowledge with administrators – future hotel managers.

Zara Gioeva, manager of Geneva Resort Hotel.