When I first heard that Dusit Thani College had been invited to send student ambassadors to HICAP 2025 in Singapore, I knew it was an opportunity that held something special. I did not know exactly what I would experience. I only knew that I wanted to learn, to grow, and to see the world of hospitality from a wider lens.
HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific) is one of the most respected hotel investment conferences in the Asia Pacific region. Leaders, owners, developers, and investors gather each year to share insights and shape the future of our industry. To be part of it as a student was both humbling and motivating. It was a chance to see what happens behind the scenes at a global event and to understand how professionals communicate, collaborate, and make decisions.
As student ambassadors, our role was simple but meaningful. We supported registration, assisted the sessions, and helped ensure the event ran smoothly. But what I learned went far beyond the tasks. I had the chance to observe how real conversations unfold between people who shape the business of hospitality. It was learning in its most natural form. No classroom can replicate that environment.
One of the highlights of HICAP was meeting other student ambassadors from universities across the region and beyond. We came from different countries and different backgrounds, yet we connected instantly. We worked as a team long before we even learned each other’s stories. That experience reminded me that hospitality is, at its core, human. It is about people meeting people. It is about understanding and supporting one another.
This opportunity also taught me something important about myself. Saying yes to something unfamiliar can lead to unexpected growth. I did not wait to be ready. I stepped forward because I believed that learning happens when you place yourself in new environments and trust yourself to adapt. That mindset changed me.
I am grateful to Dusit Thani College for opening doors that allow students like me to experience the industry at an international level. These global opportunities are not only about travel. They are about perspective. They give us the confidence to imagine our future and the courage to pursue it.
To any student reading this, I hope you take the opportunities that come your way. Even the ones that feel a little bigger than you. Especially those. You never know how much one experience can shape your path until you say yes.
HICAP 2025 will stay with me for a long time. Not only for what I learned, but for the people I met, the conversations I had, and the belief it gave me in the future of hospitality.
