Backyard Bound Field Trip

In January, AEF hosted 40 students from DC’s Academies of Hospitality and Tourism on a very special Backyard Bound field trip to experience how amazing our city is from the eyes of a tourist. They explored the historic and cultural attractions, including the Hirshhorn Museum, International Spy Museum, and visiting to top of the Washington Monument. They slept in style at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC and received a behind the scenes tour of the hotel.

Breona Meniefield and Tonio Newton are members of the NAF Academy of Hospitality and Tourism at Maya Angelou Public Charter School (MAPCS) and attended the field trip. Breona is a senior and Tonio is a sophomore. They both say that it was the best field trip they have attended.

From Breona’s perspective, she discovered new facts about the city. She learned about notable historical people that have made an impact in the city. She liked having tour guides because they were very helpful, especially in understanding the information better. She even got to speak to them one-and-one for any questions or concerns.

During their tour of the hotel, they spoke to different departments of the hotel, learning about Marriott’s founder and meeting everyone from managers to bellmen. Her favorite part of the field trip was making new friends from the three other Academies. She really enjoys meeting students from other schools through AEF field trips, saying, “There are so many people living in DC, but they don’t ever take the time to explore around or meet people from other parts of the city. There are a lot of opportunities that people should go out and seek.” This field trip opened her eyes to a newfound appreciation of DC and its history and culture.

From Tonio’s perspective, he enjoyed the museum tours, but already knew many of the historical facts that were talked about. His favorite part of the field trip was the insider view of the business side of the city. He never experienced being in a luxury hotel until this field trip and said, “one day I want to become a founder of my own hotel.” The tour really inspired him even more to reach his career goal. He liked learning all the behind-the-scenes information about a hotel and meeting people from different departments. Tonio enjoys AEF field trips because he learns about the business world and it helps him set goals for the future.