Student Life

Cooperative Education

All HOST students have an opportunity to be active in the community. AAS students are normally active through internship hours they complete with community partners. Internship hours are completed as coursework under the code HOST 140. For each 30 hours worked a student earns 1 credit of HOST 140. The maximum number of credits a student can earn toward an AAS degree via HOST 140 is 12. Most AAS students complete 4 or more credits of HOST 140 toward their degree. Cooperative education is an opportunity, not a requirement for graduation.

Certificate students can also earn work experience; this includes international students. No matter the diploma you are seeking, you should speak to a HOST advisor and create a graduation pathway specific to your career goals.

Students often complete their HOST 140 internship with work experience. These are examples of where HOSTers are currently employed based on their interest in a specific area of hospitality and tourism:

• Airline and Airport: SeaTac Airport is less than 15 minutes from campus. HOSTers most often accept positions with VIP Hospitality, Korean Air, ANA, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or Alaska Airlines
• Lodging-focused students are currently employed at Fairmont, Four Seasons, Crowne Plaza, Thompson Hotels, Best Western, Hilton, Doubletree, and many Hyatt properties throughout the greater Seattle area
• HOSTers interested in Food and Beverage are employed with Koharu, Miyabi, Spencer’s, Cheesecake Factory, and many other restaurants
• Event management students are employed by the Washington State Convention Center, Lumen Field (home of the Seattle Seahawks!), and Climate Pledge Arena (home of the Seattle Kraken!)
• Students seeking careers in the casino industry work at Muckleshoot and Emerald Queen currently
• Cruise line students primarily work for Holland America or Princess Cruises, as each organization has large corporate offices in the Seattle area

Experiential Learning

Classroom learning is important to earning a degree in HOST. In our industry, it is also important to be active in the community, network, attend professional associations, learn an emphasis area on-site at a business, complete internships, etc. We assist you in being successful in your endeavors by offering such experiences. These experiences can be instead of HOST 140 for many students.

You can learn about many of the things HOST is doing in the community by visiting us on Facebook. We post photographs of our most recent field trips and volunteer opportunities in the community.

We often work with Destination Des Moines (DDM) to gain work experience while making the community a better place to live, work, and play. DDM is an important nonprofit in the Seattle Southside region for event planners. For example, DDM oversees annual events such as Seafair – Des Moines, Waterland Parade, Community BBQ, Wine & Art Walk, Halloween Trick-or-Treat Path, Car Show, Holiday Tree Lighting, and more. You can learn about these events on the DDM website.

Seattle Southside is another important partner for experiential learning. Seattle Southside is our region’s primary tourism association.

Seatac Airport is the USA’s 7th largest and is a hub for two of the six largest airlines in the USA: Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines. Seatac Airport is merely 10 minutes from campus and has approximately 20,000 employees. There are numerous opportunities available. You can learn more through Port Jobs. Port Jobs offers Airport University and the Hotlist, an oft-updated location where nearly every single job in the Seatac Airport area is listed.

Professional Associations

There are dozens of active HOST-related professional associations in the greater Seattle area. We have partnered with many of these associations to provide students fun (and most of the time free!) networking opportunities. Here are some of the associations we have partnered with recently:

• Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)
• Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP)
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
• Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)
• Club Management Association of America (CMAA)

Students involved in these associations not only attend local events but also have an opportunity to attend international conferences. Recent and upcoming conferences have been held in Orlando, Houston, Minneapolis, Louisville, Toronto, Charlotte, Savannah (GA), Indianapolis, and many more!

International Students

Are you an international student interested in studying with us at Highline College? You should contact International Student Programs (ISP)! ISP is an important resource, but do not let them be your only resource. HOST is also here to help you during your transition to campus, Seattle, and the United States.

We recommend you contact a HOST advisor for a Zoom session as well as contacting ISP. Receiving proper advising specific to your goals (e.g. transfer student, short-term study abroad, ESL) prior to arriving on campus is integral to maximizing your experience.

Visit the ISP website for more information.

Office hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Front Desk phone: (206) 592-3725

After hours/holiday for an emergency: Contact ISP emergency phone at (253) 642-7525

Location: Building 25 (Library), 5th floor