Taking advantage of every opportunity gave this student a jumpstart on her career

New hospitality alumna Yasmine Tesone has been adding a lot of frequent flyer miles to her airline account lately. She’s been to the U.S. Open in New York City twice, a coffee farm in Costa Rica, another in El Salvador, a mezcal farm in Oaxaca, Mexico, and to the North American headquarters for Italian coffee brand Lavazza.

Recently, as she turned her tassel to the left of her graduation cap, signifying her academic achievement of earning her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management, she recognized that those experiences and one simple word are what got her to the finish line and a job before she even stepped onto the stage to receive her diploma.

“Yes.” That’s the three-letter word that Tesone, who is from Miami, says is the key to her success. “Two-and-a-half years ago, I joined a family at FIU within the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and its Bacardi Center of Excellence that completely changed my life and my career,” Tesone said.

Tesone representing FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the U.S. Open tennis tournament

Tesone has been traveling the globe over the past two-and-a-half years simply because her “yes” led her to enter the Coffee in Good Spirits Coffee Cocktail competition sponsored by Lavazza and the FIU Bacardi Center of Excellence. Her first-place finish with her “Mai Tierra” drink led to a chance to prepare and showcase it in the Lavazza Premium Coffee Corporation’s suite at the 2024 U.S. Open in New York City.

“Saying yes to what you do not know opens so many doors that you never knew existed,” said Tesone. “I never thought it would lead to all of this,” she added.

Besides her travels, Tesone has gotten hands-on experiences to work in beverage management and to network with industry leaders at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Tales of the Cocktail and at the Speciality Coffee Association Expo in Chicago this year.

These unique experiences gave her the advantage of meeting corporate executives in a professional setting and to network with them one-on-one. As a result, she’s been hired by Lavazza to be part of their corporate training program and the world’s largest coffee training school network.

“The students are starting to see that winning or participation gets you into an ecosystem that’s pretty amplified for their career, for their own personal development,” said Frank LaRusso, a director of training for the Lavazza Group, creator of the competition and a Chaplin School adjunct professor.

For Tesone, it may have started with mixing, measuring and trying something outside of her comfort zone, but she says the opportunities at FIU to network and attend exclusive industry events has been a priceless part of her education.

“All of the events I’ve attended and been a part of with Lavazza came out because of the initial yes. I encourage other students to push the envelope and try new things because you never know what that will lead to in the future.” 

Tesone's journey began with a study abroad to El Salvador. Here, she plants a coffee tree at a plantation.