Dear Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Student Club Members,
What does hospitality leadership look like in a world shaped by rising seas, fragile infrastructure, and growing climate risk?
This spring, we’re inviting you to find out.
The Tampa Bay Resilience Design Challenge 2026 is now live—and your voice as hospitality students is not only welcome, it’s essential. Over the next two months, interdisciplinary student teams will develop visionary proposals to reimagine how Tampa Bay lives by the water—from infrastructure and housing to public safety, policy, and community well-being.
This is more than a class project. It’s a civic simulation where students step into the roles of real-world designers, planners, and decision-makers—and pitch their ideas to a panel of Tampa Bay leaders shaping the region’s future.
Why hospitality?
Because in times of crisis, tourism is vulnerable, but hospitality is essential. How we respond, protect, adapt, and lead during these moments directly impacts economies, communities, and human lives. This challenge is your chance to rethink the systems behind our experiences—shelters, hotels, logistics, communication, emergency tourism planning, and more.
Whether you have a bold idea or just want to be part of a team making a difference, we encourage you to form a group (3–8 members), draw from your coursework and lived experience, and take this opportunity to lead from the front.
Let’s show Tampa Bay how Hospitality & Tourism students think—strategically, creatively, and with purpose.
If you have questions or want help forming a team, reach out directly to me at gkatunzi@usf.edu or you can meet us on Tuesday February 3rd 2026 at Muma College of Business Atrium from 2:00pm-6:00pm we' ll be more than happy to help.
Sincerely,
Grace Katunzi
Vice President, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Student Club
