Yearbook

Introducing the 2025 Baxter Student Ambassadors

Tourism education has certainly changed since the Baxter Student Ambassador Program (BSAP) began 11 years ago with the goal of supporting exceptional tourism and hospitality students as they graduate and enter the workforce.

With the ups and downs of pandemics, funding cuts and international student caps, colleges and universities have had to demonstrate adaptability and resilience — as have their students. What has stayed constant is the spirit of mentorship and commitment to uplifting students in their pursuit of careers in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

One-of-a-kind post-secondary student mentoring program celebrates a decade

The Baxter Student Ambassador Program (BSAP) is a one-of-a-kind post-secondary student mentoring program committed to identifying and supporting the Canadian travel industry’s top incoming talent. For a decade now, BSAP has upheld its mission to encourage young people to get involved in the travel industry, foster networking opportunities for graduating students, mentor the next generation of travel professionals, and cultivate engagement in the travel industry.

Advice for the next generation of the Travel Industry

It’s an exciting time as this year’s crop of travel and tourism graduates from across the country gear up to join the travel industry. In celebration of the 2023 BSAP winners kicking off their careers, Travel Courier sat down with industry executives to learn about their top advice and valuable lessons for the next generation of travel professionals.

Welcome to BSAP 2022

Baxter Media’s Baxter Student Ambassador Program remains committed to identifying the travel industry’s most-promising student talent in tourism and hospitality programs at Canada’s leading colleges and universities.

BSAP is the only travel and tourism student mentoring program of its kind in Canada, offering learning and networking opportunities for aspiring travel industry professionals.

BSAP plays a vital role in the long-term survival of the travel industry. Now in its eighth year, the program continues to work with colleges and universities from across Canada to identify the most promising student talent in participating travel, tourism, and hospitality programs. .

Eternal Optimists

This year’s winning Baxter Ambassadors are a diverse mix of students of different ages, backgrounds, and ambitions, but the one thing this group of graduates has in common? Optimism. Something we all need a little more of right now.

The only program of its kind in Canada, the Baxter Student Ambassador Program (BSAP) identifies the very best emerging talent from travel, tourism, and hospitality programs across the country. Based on a combination of academic success, leadership skills, community involvement, and a mock interview, one student from each of this year’s 15 participating colleges and universities is selected as the winning Baxter Student Ambassador to represent their school.

While our 15 winning Ambassadors may be ready to take on the world, the world isn’t quite ready for them yet. But not even a pandemic’s moratorium on travel is going to deter this group of graduates. They’re sticking to their career ambitions like Centennial College’s Angiela Maenel Menguita who dreams of owning her own travel agency or Algonquin College’s Megan Chatman who wants to return to Newfoundland to develop tourism in Labrador City, and Andy Chu of Capilano University who sees himself planning conventions and events that drive tourism. And their bucket lists just keep growing with dreams of someday soon seeing the pyramids of Egypt like Stefani Walter of Confederation College or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro like Red River College’s Zachary Harrison, and visiting every province and territory in Canada like Sydnee Bell of SAIT.

The 2019 BSAP Ambassadors have arrived.

A new generation was celebrated yesterday at the Fifth Annual Baxter Student Ambassador Awards luncheon at George Brown College’s Chefs’ House in Toronto and it featured the presentation of the 2019 Awards and a powerful keynote address by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) president and CEO, Charlotte Bell.

From a generation often criticized for being lazy and entitled, this year’s Baxter Student Ambassadors are proof that they are anything but. Ambitious, determined, and organized, this group of recent graduates is hungry for opportunity and ready to work. “I always put 110% into whatever I am pursuing,” said Hayley Johnson-Skinner, the 20-year-old Baxter Ambassador from Ryerson University. “Whether it’s school, work, or my BSAP presentation, I love the reward that comes from hard work.”

Each year, we celebrate our Baxter Ambassadors in style! In 2017, we held a cocktail party where Ambassadors had the chance to network with fellow winners, BSAP alumni, leaders from the travel industry, and proud BSAP sponsors. The following afternoon, everyone gathered for a formal awards ceremony and luncheon at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto. Take a look at our photos from last year’s event, and peruse the special issue of Travel Courier profiling our amazing 2017 winners!

Each year, we celebrate our Baxter Ambassadors in style with an event at the Chelsea Toronto. In 2016, we held a cocktail party where Ambassadors had the chance to network with fellow Ambassadors from other schools, leaders from the travel industry, and proud BSAP sponsors.

Take a look at our photos from last year’s event, and peruse the special issue of Travel Courier profiling our amazing winners!