As the fourth of five children, Joe Ferrara ’19 grew up cooking meals and baking treats for his family. As a teenager, he spent summers slinging pizzas and busing tables, envisioning a day when he would run his own business. “I really loved seeing people smile and providing the best experiences for them,” he says.

So it was no surprise when Ferrara transferred to the School of Hotel Administration as a sophomore in 2016.

But he couldn’t have predicted what happened after he arrived.