Photo credit: Bastien Durand
The 75 candidates for the 20th edition of the Grands Prix de la Relève of the Quebec Association for Training in Catering, Tourism and Hospitality (AQFORTH), held in Montreal on Thursday evening, all have the same professional ambition: to pursue a career in the tourism industry.
“The future young leaders of the tourism sector are before us,” underlined Mario Leblanc, General Manager of Tourisme Montérégie, in the introduction to the fair presentation. The winners were chosen by the jury in three categories: catering, hospitality and tourism.
For the first time in four years, the ceremony could take place in person. The diverse applicants come from the four corners of Quebec and represent “the next generation of graduates” in a sector that has grown since the pandemic. Federal Minister of Tourism Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who attended the event, welcomed this enthusiasm for the sector, and the fact that students are “choosing not just a summer job, but a rich and exciting” job to help the country promote to the top. whole world.
A total of 19 scholarships were awarded during the evening, as well as a Tribute award. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the AQFORTH-hosted event, each winner received $2,000 instead of the $1,000 usually awarded each year. The Excellence Prize awarded a $5,000 scholarship.
These are the winners of the 20th edition of the Grand Prix for the Next Generation:
Category Hospitality – Received 23 applications, 9 finalists and 4 winners
- Samuel Russell (DEP professional kitchen, École Hôtelière de la Montérégie)
- Sarah Amarica (DEP professional pastry shop, ITHQ)
- Rosalie Dubé (DEC management of catering establishments, ITHQ)
- Thomas Miserez (AEC international kitchen management (Collège Merici)
Category Tourism – Received 23 applications, 9 finalists and 4 winners
- Bettina Langevin-Tapps (AEC Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism Guide, Cégep Saint-Félicien)
- Orely Guay (technical DEC in tourism, Collège Mérici)
- Noémie Perron (technical DEC in tourism, Cégep Saint-Félicien)
- Morgane André (technical DEC in tourism, Cégep Saint-Félicien)
Category Hospitality – Received 15 applications, 7 finalists and 3 winners
- Mathieu Morissette (DEC hotel management techniques, Cégep Limoilou)
- Raphaëlle Gindre (technical DEC in hotel management, Cégep Limoilou)
- Maria Daniela Novoa (technical hotel management DEC, LaSalle College)
Category University studies – 14 applications received, 5 finalists, 2 winners
- Élisabeth Vallières (ESG-UQAM and ITHQ)
- Myriam Miron-Lalonde (ESG-UQAM)
Grand Prize of Excellence
- Bettina Langevin-Tapps (AEC Guide to Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism, Cégep Saint-Félicien)
International Student Award
- Francisca Anona Josia Vavihely (UQTR)
Favorite prizes
- Catering: Rosalie Dubé (ITHQ)
- Tourism: Noémie Perron (Cégep Saint-Félicien)
- Hospitality: Raphaëlle Gindre (Cégep Limoilou)
- University studies: Myriam Miron-Lalonde (ESG-UQÀM)
Praise to education staff
- Staff of the Tourist Techniques Department of the Cégep de Saint-Félicien
Mentor program
- M effect (MT lab)
- Julie Bourdeau (ESG-UQÀM and ITHQ)