Hospitality Management Educator Awarded Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service

Former Vice Principal of Academics at Montego Bay Community College (MBCC), Carol Dawn Walters, has been a transformative force in Jamaica’s hospitality and tourism sector, dedicating more than 40 years to its development.

Her passion for the industry has become an integral part of her life’s journey, driving her to elevate hospitality training both locally and regionally.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the industry, Mrs. Walters has been awarded the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service for her impact on hospitality training in Jamaica.

Born in St. Elizabeth, Mrs. Walters initially envisioned a career in education after graduating from St. Elizabeth Technical High School in 1979.

Her passion for teaching led her to pursue a diploma in Secondary Education, specialising in Home Economics, at Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, Manchester.

She officially began her teaching career in 1984, but a chance encounter with an advertisement about a certificate course in Hospitality Management at the Jamaica Institute of Management (JIM) changed her trajectory.

“To occupy my time, I enrolled in the course on weekends, and I developed a deep love for the field of hospitality,” she told JIS News in an interview.

Her performance in the course was nothing short of outstanding, earning her the honour of Valedictorian at graduation.

Inspired by this new found passion, Mrs. Walters pursued further studies at the Global Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Nassau, The Bahamas, where she graduated with Upper Second Class Honours in Hospitality Management.

Her academic excellence earned her a scholarship from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association, which she used to pursue a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Birmingham in England, graduating with distinction, while working at the MBCC.

She told JIS News that the journey to earning such a prestigious National Award (OD), was not an easy feat.

But with four decades of experience, she continues to showcase her competence by demonstrating how deserving she is of this recognition.

She has been instrumental in assisting the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica in developing the bachelor’s degree programme in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Beyond MBCC, the passionate educator worked with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) on hospitality training programmes across the region and has provided quality assurance assessments for the University Council of Jamaica.

“Because of the quality of the work that Montego Bay Community College has produced in terms of training in the field of hospitality and tourism, I have been doing assessments, quality assurance assessments with the University Council of Jamaica,” she pointed out.

Mrs. Walters reflected that despite her decades of dedication, her deepest satisfaction lies in knowing she has empowered her students to rise as the true pioneers and visionaries of the industry.

“It has always been about my students, to make sure that what the students were being taught was exactly what the industry wanted. I have developed programmes for internships, for the students to get hands-on training on an apprenticeship programme in the hotel,” she said.

She climbed the ranks during her 26 years of service at the MBCC from 1998 to September 2024, from a lecturer to Head of the Hospitality Department, then Acting as Vice Principal from 2009 to 2012 and in 2016, the Vice Principal of Academics.

Her colleagues and students greatly appreciate her wealth of knowledge and her eagerness to get the job done.

Former MBCC Principal, Dr. Maureen Nelson, who worked alongside Mrs. Walters for years, has always recognised her as a dynamic and influential educator.

“She is excellent with the students [and] very dynamic among the staff. She is able to motivate them, so that they, too. could excel in what they were doing,” Dr. Nelson shared.

“I’m really proud and happy that we have been able to acknowledge her, because too often, persons have done so well and they are not recognised for the work that they have done,” she added.

For past student of the MBCC, Dwight Barrett, Mrs. Walters has been impactful in his career choice as a Culinary Chef.

“Mrs. Walters is the kind of person who wants to see the best from her students, and she will do whatever is in her power to ensure that not just myself but the others in the class succeed,” Mr. Barrett said.

“Even after leaving college for three years now, we still have that kind of communication and dialogue every now and then. I’m progressing and I can seek her out for advice in the professional field as well,” he added.

After a long and dedicated career in the industry, Mrs. Walters retired recently, but remains committed to working with young people.

“I’ve given so much and I was really hoping to take it a little easy right now. But I want to do more community work, to help young people to build self-awareness and to prepare themselves better for the future,” she said.