University of Nevada, Reno

Arrival 

Hi there! My name is Victoria Vita and I am currently twenty-two years old. This summer I will be interning at THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO (UNR). A little about myself: I recently spent four wonderful years at Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey in New Brunswick. Just this May (2015) I graduated with a degree in nutritional sciences with a concentration in food service administration. I also minored in environmental and business economics.

I was raised a Jersey girl, but born on the West coast in California. I heard about the NACUFS internship through emails from the Rutgers nutrition department and when I found out that the University placement must be at least a 200 mile radius from your current university I seized the opportunity to head to the west coast.  I also applied to NACUFS to learn more about university food service along with the demands and atmosphere the job entails. Throughout my young life I have always been connected to the food industry and have worked at places like McDonald's, Chipotle and Douglass Cafe for Rutgers dining services. Overall, I am excited to be an intern for UNR and can not wait to start!

Before the start of my internship my parents and  I flew from New Jersey to Los Angeles, California. We spent a few days visiting family and touring LA. From there we drove from Los Angeles to Sacramento to visit even more family. Finally, we drove up the winding roads to Reno, where my parents and a few of my relatives stayed at the Riverside Plaza. The first festival to kick start the summer called "Street Vibrations" was going on that weekend. The streets were filled with motorcycles, bike gear and men with beards. 

My Uncle I havent seen in 9 years

With only two days before my start date my family and I walked the streets of downtown Reno. We ate prime rib at the Cal-Neva casino which is ONLY $5.99 a plate! It was very delicious for such a great price! We sat by the Trukee river and enjoyed the water. We also had the opportunity to talk to some of the owners of the motocyles and took tons of photos.

Street Vibrations

My family and I by the Truckee River

 The next day my family and I went to Kings Beach. Lake tahoe is absoultely amazing. The view of the mountains in the background is incrediable. In New Jersey there are no mountains only flat land, so the view of the lake with the mountains and the snowtop peaks were incredible. Throughout the day, my aunt and uncle decided to rent out a kayak for the day so my mom and I had the chance to kayak in Lake tahoe. 

The clearest water I have ever seen!

Kayaking with my mom at Kings Beach

Lake Tahoe

Week One (June 8 to June 12)

Time for business! This week has just begun. On my first day I met Chris (resident district manager) and Russ (associate director for housing operations and dining services) at the Overlook. When I first walked in I immediately understood why it was named "The Overlook" From the seating area to the right of the building there is a beautiful scene that overlooks a small lake with two fountains. In the lake are ducks, swans, bass and turtles. Chris introduced me to a ton of friendly people and what seemed like the entire staff of the university. He gave me a tour of the facilities, different dining areas, and a basic overview of the entire campus from the gym, library, class room lecture halls, etc... The campus is beautiful and much smaller than what I am used to at Rutgers and from different areas of the campus it oversees the mountains which is such a beautiful sight.

Advice: Don't be overwhelmed your first day, everyone you meet you'll meet again! So don't stress about remembering names. You have 8 weeks :)

The Overlook

This week I also met Kyle (catering director) and Lori (catering coordinator). Both Kyle and Lori are such friendly people and made me feel welcome right away. This week Kyle and Lori showed me how they cater events. Kyle showed me menus from recent and future events from her HUGE binder.  Lori mentioned since it is only summer her binder is not as full as it should be, which I can't even image how much bigger it could get.

I learned just from observing that Catering takes a ton of organization because the staff must pay close attention to detail. As Kyle was making phone calls to confirm her employees attendance I asked if University students work during her events. With such high volume catering events the staff Kyle selects are mostly all experienced and self-driven. Also, I witnessed during the day there could be as many as two to five events happening at different areas of the campus. Therefore, Kyle and Lori must stay organized so the events run smoothly. This week  I also shadowed in on the Heart Stoke Ball which meant a lot for Kyle. It was great to see the event coming along. I did not stay long, but I did wave a good bye to Kyle as she ran across the hallway with a cart filled with food, plates and water containers. She is such an energetic woman!

The table setting for the Heart Stoke Ball

This weekend I am finishing off at the Overlook. On Friday I worked with Shawn on 5 different seasonal salads for the student achievement center called the William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center (PSAC). We added more color to certain salads. For example, we added cherry tomatoes and/or shredded carrots for salads that needed more eye appeal. Of all the things I learned today is that people eat with their eyes and presentation is key.

First weekend

My first weekend at Reno was incredible. During dinner at the Downunder Cafe I met a group of 12 students doing research at the university. As I got to know them better I learned that each person was from different areas of the United States like Chicago, Puerto Rico, Minnesota, Washington D.C and Vermont. I am super excited to have met such friendly people just as eager to explore Nevada as I am.

 Future Advice: Be friendly to everyone, put yourself out there and make friends. There are people just as eager to go out and explore just like you!

That night a few of us walked to the Food Trucks not too far from campus. There was tons of street food and live music. It was a great time and just the beginning of all that Reno has to offer. Afterward, a few of us stayed by the Truckee river and cooled off in the water . 

Truckee River

The next day my new friends invited me to zephyr cove Lake Tahoe. It was a great atmosphere and the weather was beautiful. Since Lake Tahoe has a higher altitude the sun is extremely strong.

Future Advice: wear lots of sunscreen/lotion