Amy Bendekovits has some impressive experience on her résumé. The graduating senior in Temple’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management has interned in hotel operations at Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains, in event planning and development at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and in corporate events at Madison Square Garden Co.

But there also was her summer 2013 internship in the White House Visitors Office, where she assisted in the planning and execution of official White House events, including the Fourth of July celebration on the South Lawn.

While at the White House, Bendekovits met and exchanged a hug with First Lady Michelle Obama and brushed elbows with actor Bradley Cooper.

Amid those internships and experiences, she remained active on Temple’s Main Campus Program Board—most recently serving as vice president—and completed the Temple University Diamond Leader program.

Her real-world readiness is no fluke: The School of Tourism and Hospitality Management requires its undergraduates to complete junior and senior internships, as well as 250 industry-related volunteer hours, before graduation.

Bendekovits helped organize a $250,000 fundraising event, Walk MS, for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and planned a variety of fundraising and promotional events for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers through Madison Square Garden’s in-house charity, Garden of Dreams. Bendekovits also assisted in planning a recent casino night with the Rangers that raised approximately $300,000 for that organization, which helps fulfill wishes for children facing challenges.

“Event planning is something I got into because I found that the feeling of seeing the event take place and seeing people be happy makes everything leading up to it so worth it,” she said. “Yes, it is stressful, but I also think that organization really helps with that. And because I’ve been doing events for so long, the stress doesn’t affect me that much.”

In June, Bendekovits will start a yearlong management-training program at Aramark in New York City. She accepted the position in January, which allowed her to complete the final semester of her four-year Temple career with a job secured.

“I’ve been given so much guidance and direction that have led me to be able to accept my first job,” Bendekovits said of her school’s faculty and staff. “It really is a family atmosphere, and the faculty care about us and want us to succeed.”