FARMINGTON, Pa. — From coordinating poolside entertainment and guiding outdoor recreation to caring for animals at a wildlife center, a record number of West Virginia University students are spending the summer learning how one of the region’s best-known luxury resorts operates behind the scenes.
Twenty-one WVU students are working this summer at Nemacolin in southwestern Pennsylvania, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the resort’s 33-member intern class and tripling the university’s participation in the program since 2022.
Their assignments extend well beyond traditional hotel operations, offering an unusual look at the range of careers required to operate a large luxury destination that combines lodging and dining with outdoor recreation, entertainment, golf, wildlife programs and other guest experiences.
For some of the students, the experience is already changing what they thought they would do after college.
Partnership puts students inside resort operations
The internships are part of a growing partnership between Nemacolin and West Virginia University at Morgantown that combines university coursework with executive mentorship, internships and other experiences at the resort.
“The growth tells me that both WVU and Nemacolin are doing a great job promoting the incredible opportunities available through this partnership,” said Frank DeMarco, director of WVU’s Hardy Family Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.
“Students recognize that Nemacolin offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn and work at one of the world’s premier luxury resorts,” DeMarco said. “As more students hear directly from past interns about the professional growth, mentorship, and hands-on learning they experience, interest continues to grow.”
Students participating this summer come from fields ranging from hospitality and tourism management to industrial engineering and animal sciences. In addition to working alongside resort employees, interns interact with executives and learn about the management and service standards involved in operating a luxury destination.
For Elkins native Bradan Andrews, a rising WVU senior studying hospitality and tourism management, that exposure has changed a career plan he had held throughout college.
Andrews arrived at WVU expecting to pursue hotel operations. This summer, however, he has been working with Nemacolin’s entertainment operation, coordinating poolside activities that include children’s games, trivia and bingo and frequently making decisions independently.
“I’ve been having to reroute the way I think,” Andrews said. “For all of college, my plan has been the same — hotels, but the entertainment internship has changed my thinking. My mind is the most open it’s ever been to all the different opportunities out there.”
He said the work has helped him recognize strengths that may lead him in a different direction.
“The internship helped me find my voice and see my strengths more clearly,” Andrews said. “I feel like they might just cater more toward the entertainment realm and that’s exciting to me.”
From whitewater rafting to luxury outdoor recreation
Gretchen Nichols reached Nemacolin by a very different route.
The Fredericksburg, Virginia, native graduated from WVU in May with a degree in earth and environmental science. A hospitality and tourism course during her senior year introduced her to careers she had not previously considered, and an opportunity to shadow a recreation leader at Nemacolin encouraged her to explore the field further.
Nichols already works as a whitewater rafting guide at nearby Ohiopyle State Park. At Nemacolin, she has been able to see outdoor recreation from the management side of a major hospitality operation.
“I really wanted to branch out into hospitality and outdoor recreation,” Nichols said. “I’ve always loved environmental science and ecotourism, but this internship showed me what outdoor recreation looks like on a much larger scale.”
The experience has broadened her ambitions. Nichols said she now hopes eventually to lead outdoor recreation programs around the world while exploring ways destinations can connect travelers with nature.
“I never thought this kind of career would be available to me,” she said. “This experience really has opened my eyes to a whole different set of opportunities.”
Wildlife experience points another student toward veterinary school
For Paden City native Bryson Stackpole, Nemacolin has provided a different kind of opportunity.
The WVU senior, who studies animal and nutritional sciences, is working at the resort’s wildlife center as he prepares to pursue veterinary medicine.
Stackpole learned about the internship during a class presentation and applied the same day. The opportunity has allowed him to work with a variety of animals and learn alongside professionals, including an opportunity to shadow the veterinary chief of staff.
Rather than changing his career plans, Stackpole said the experience has strengthened his conviction that veterinary medicine is the right path.
He also said former interns told him that six students who received letters of recommendation through the program were subsequently accepted to veterinary school, an encouraging record as he applies to programs around the country.
WVU-Nemacolin relationship extends beyond summer
The summer internships are part of a larger relationship between the university and resort that continues throughout the academic year.
Nemacolin leaders visit WVU as guest speakers, mentor students, participate in career fairs and host learning experiences at the resort. Students also work with industry partners through WVU’s Nemacolin Hospitality Innovation and Technology Lab to address business challenges.
The relationship has also developed into a potential employment pipeline.
Since 2022, nearly 28% of interns have accepted full- or part-time jobs at Nemacolin after completing their internships, according to information provided by WVU.
“The pipeline between the resort and WVU right in our backyard is an absolute no-brainer,” said Cheyenne Hoover, Nemacolin’s university relations recruiting partner.
“We’ve been able to meet so many students, coming from so many different backgrounds, and bringing so many different skill sets,” Hoover said. “It’s been remarkable to watch this partnership figure out ways to innovatively utilize these interns, provide a tremendous experiential learning opportunity, and simultaneously build a pipeline that could turn into full-time opportunities.”
Meridith Balas, Hardy Family Engagement and Innovation professor and director of the Nemacolin Hospitality Lab, said the variety of disciplines represented by the students demonstrates how broadly hospitality reaches into other fields.
“Our students are creating real value across disciplines—from wildlife and recreation to lodging, golf, and hospitality—while helping strengthen the tourism ecosystem that drives economic opportunity throughout our region,” Balas said.