Jandy Hernandez, a business major with a concentration in marketing, currently has an internship with Delaware North at TD Garden. Delaware North is a global leader in hospitality and food service with more than 55,000 associates serving half a billion guests each year. Among its many partners is Boston’s TD Garden, one of the top three sports and entertainment venues in the United States.
Jandy started this internship in February and has loved every second of it. She describes Delaware North as a welcoming environment and she looks forward to working for the company.
“First and foremost…they treat you like family when you get there,” she said. “When I was there, I was welcome with open arms. Everybody is so kind…[and] sweet to each other.”
She works directly with two managers who oversee the catering aspect of Delaware North. Her main responsibilities as an intern involve VIP catering for the Boston sports teams, opposing teams and private events at the Garden. Some of the behind-the-scenes work includes creating different menus for different dietary needs and communicating with different chefs about what events are happening throughout the week.
“[For] Celtics games, I mainly work within the Franklin Templeton Club, which is one of the areas that people buy courtside tickets [from],” she said. “We create the menu for that, and then serve [them].”
Her shifts can be hectic, especially when it comes to new events at TD Garden. However, she embraces the heavy workload and has a fun time doing it.
“I started during the Four Nations hockey [event]…[it] was insane,” she said. “That was the first time they had done it [at TD], so…you’re working on all the kinks in it, but…the really cool part is doing the games, like running around TD is…pretty cool honestly.”
Jandy has a passion for event planning, which can be reflected in her on-campus activities. She’s worked with the Unity House at Merrimack for three years, which is a student-run organization that promotes diversity and multiculturalism. She’s in charge of large-scale events for the House, such as Breaking Bread. Breaking Bread is an event that aims to foster discussion around culture and tradition on campus while enjoying a three-course meal of globally inspired cuisines.
“I had 170 people show up to [Breaking Bread], but it was…a very detailed event,” she said. “We had…floral arrangements and…questions that were prompted to the community members that came to the event…we had different foods [as well].”
Her work at the Unity House directly correlates with her internship and ensured that this is the path she wants to continue in the future.
“I enjoyed seeing the smile on people’s faces when they came in…and I created an amazing bond with a whole bunch of students that would…come to the events,” she said. “I enjoyed the whole planning process…and my creativity was able to thrive [especially] throughout [Breaking Bread].”
Jandy recommends using the resources at Merrimack, such as the O’Brien Center, to improve resumes and LinkedIn profiles. She believes these resources were a critical reason as to why she earned this internship.
“I think the biggest deal breaker is whether or not your LinkedIn looks good…your resume needs to look good too,” she said. “I used the O’Brien Center. I…uploaded my resume and I had them look over it. It’s important to use these resources because…[companies] compare your resume to the next person, [so] what is within [your] resume that’s gonna stand out? I spent months on my LinkedIn profile….that’s how I landed [this internship].”
Some valuable lessons she’s learned at Delaware North are the importance of building relationships and being a good listener.
“Build connections with the people…you’re working with…you never know where it can take you,” she said. “One thing that was key…in the industry [I’m in] is to listen and be detail oriented. Just take things in and…being patient is…super important in this industry.”
Jandy hopes to stay with Delaware North long-term, as she’s “obsessed” with her job, and loves working in a fast-paced environment.
