Montgomery County Community College encourages students to participate in amazing educational opportunities it offers in and out of the classroom every day. Sometimes those opportunities can even lead to once-in-a-lifetime moments in students’ lives. Just ask second year Tourism and Hospitality Management major Darren Pierce.  

During the summer of 2025, Tourism and Hospitality Management Associate Professor Shawn Murray, ’02, invited Pierce, along with classmates Debby Marin Barrientos, Lizette Chavez and Donnell Peake,’24, to attend the International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit and Trade Show. The event was hosted by National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD).

“The mission is to increase women and minority representation in hotel development, ownership, asset management, and commercial real estate,” said Murray, who has co-chaired the national program for the last seven years. “Attending the NABHOOD conference prepares students to launch careers in the business of tourism, gives them confidence and professional development skills. It emphasizes what they’re learning in the classroom at Montco, to be ready to work with our industry partners.”

Pierce and his classmates were among 40 students from 10 colleges and universities across the United States and the Caribbean in attendance for the international conference.

Pierce, 33, of the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, figured it would be a great learning and networking opportunity. He never imagined it would also lead to attending the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards during the 54th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.— an event which included a speech by former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The theme of the trade show was “The Evolution Continues: Reflections from the Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders, Part II” and featured “The 2025 Student Experience- Shaping the Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders.” The event included investment seminars, one-on-one mentoring sessions, workshops and networking events. Students were able to connect with seasoned professionals and absorb lessons in leadership, ownership and innovation. They also boarded a yacht dinner cruise with conference attendees, and attended a black-tie awards dinner, featuring Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis.

For Pierce, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two year colleges, who has made the Dean’s Commendation List, it was an opportunity to explore tourism and hospitality professions further and learn about the possible careers options open to him. Before coming to MCCC in the spring of 2024, he worked several professional jobs, including many restaurant positions and security. The opportunity to learn about the hospitality industry in earnest intrigued him.

“I didn’t know what to expect from hospitality,” he said. “Once I got into the program, it changed my whole perspective.”

Attending the trade show opened his eyes to the numerous careers available after graduation.

“Ultimately, it was a great experience,” said Pierce. “I’m constantly reflecting on it each and every day trying to utilize what I learned on that trip, like being a professional even though you’re a student. You want to be a professional and you want to start now.”

In addition to the conference and a campus tour of four-year transfer partner, Florida International University, Murray said there is a cultural component to the event. Students visited the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, which is considered historically to be the “Harlem of the South,” given its Black historical heritage. Students learned about its history and the community impact of new hotel and commercial real estate construction.

Attending the NABHOOD summit is a competitive process, Murray said. Students interested in attending are required to write an essay as to why they think they should be selected. MCCC students have participated in the annual event since 2016, partially through the NABHOOD Student Conference Scholarship, which provides funding through the philanthropic mission of the organization. All expenses at the event are covered for students, except airfare. Through a partnership with FIU, MCCC Tourism and Hospitality Management students who attend the NABHOOD conference tour its campus in Miami, explore research projects and classes with FIU faculty, along with additional opportunities to foster relationships and better prepare for transfer. These intentional interactions result in encouraging students to continue their education towards a bachelor's or master's degree.

Learning he’d been selected by a committee to attend the event in Miami was “a changing moment in my life,” said Pierce.

“Because of the connections I made with the other students who participated,” he said. “Meeting up at 7 a.m. with people you’ve never met before. By end of the trip, we were close. We still keep in touch to this day in a group chat. That was pivotal part for me. And we were there with hotel owners and operators in the hospitality industry. People who look like myself. These were professionals accomplished in the industry for many years. I was able to talk to them in one-on-one moments.”

During the conference, students voted Pierce as an MVP of the event and his name was put into the running for a sponsorship to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards, said Murray. Dr. Andrew Ingraham, the President, Founder and CEO of NABHOOD, was impressed with Pierce and paid for him to attend the awards as a result.

The event took place Saturday, Sept. 27 in Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Pierce said it was an incredible experience.

“I can’t even put words on it,” he said. “The atmosphere like no other. There were more than 5,000 people from all walks of life dressed nicely. It was amazing.”

Former Vice President Harris’ speech, he said, focused on a message of unity and diversity, which Pierce appreciated.

“I’m a big fan of diversity. It’s key in how we accomplish a lot of things in the world,” he said. “Everyone comes from different walks of life. We’re all humans and we can get a lot of things accomplished together.”

The experiences Pierce had in Miami and Washington have given him the time to reflect on what he wants to do with his life after graduation, he said. He wants to transfer to a four-year institution to study human resources, in order to help organizations in the hospitality industry grow. He credits MCCC for offering amazing learning opportunities and for encouraging him to participate.

“Montco is a great institution. It’s very diverse. There are so many students from many different backgrounds. I’ve been able to connect with people. It’s about what we can learn together. Anytime I’ve been faced with a challenge, someone is there to help you,” he said. “I came back to school at 32. Montco gave me a home. Opportunities like the trips to Miami and Washington, D.C, I’ve never had that before. I love that about Montco.”