Travel and Tourism student Satkar KC in front of the Central Minnesota Travel Information Center.
Senior Travel and Tourism major Satkar KC has spent much of the year at the Central Minnesota Travel Information Center (TIC). A senior Travel and Tourism major (now Hospitality and Tourism) from Nepal, he is completing his internship at the Center.
Working 16-20 hours per week at the TIC, KC works with travelers to find their “true north” – a philosophy created by Explore Minnesota. He uses effective communication to talk about state and regional destinations, events, attractions, and available services.
Professor Randy Baker works with the TIC director in St. Paul to train, mentor, and oversee interns. Students apply what they have learned in the classroom, including travel marketing theory and development and management skills. St. Cloud State has worked with the TIC to provide interns since it was built in 1995.
“Interns are largely unsupervised and do an amazing job,” Baker said. They are charged with maintaining inventory by contacting agencies and communities throughout the state. Students also polish their communication skills by providing customer service in person, over the phone, and online.
Magazine racks hold informational materials about communities and events across Minnesota.
KC is no exception to the great work interns at the TIC do. In addition to applying what he has learned in the classroom, KC knows how to go above and beyond the basic requirements of the internship.
Upon receiving new materials for display racks, there were nearly 60 boxes of outdated materials to dispose of. KC took it upon himself to contact the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in St. Cloud and asked if the materials could be recycled through them. And they were.
KC will graduate fall of 2020 and plans to pursue a career in geography or tourism. He hopes to find something to fulfill his interest in national parks, geographic information science, or travel.
He knows his internship experience will help him get there. “Professionalism, time management, effective communication were all skills I gained during my tenure at the TIC,” KC said.
KC has been able to visit numerous state and national parks while a student at St. Cloud State – Interstate State Park, Itasca State Park, and Banning State Park, to name a few. His favorite to date: Voyageurs National Park.
He will see more of Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters when he takes a week-long trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, this summer with Professor Blinnikov (GEOG 399).
The Central Minnesota Travel Information Center was awarded MnDOT’s 2019 Non-Interstate award for Cleanliness and Cleanest Travel Information Center in the state, an award for the hard-working staff of Green View, Inc., who maintain the facilities.
