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Graduate School
The University of Mississippi

Hospitality Management Doctoral Student’s Unique Path to UM

Fernando Lopez speaking on stage

“Several faculty members and I myself agreed that Fernando Arroyo Lopez, a doctoral student in Nutrition & Hospitality Management, has a great story,” remarks Dr. Yunhee Chang, the NHM Graduate Program Coordinator. “Lopez recently spoke at TEDxUM. He is also an international student from Mexico with a unique background.”

Of course, after hearing that, we had to learn more about Fernando Arroyo Lopez, and were certainly treated to an amazing story in our interview with him.

Graduate School: Can you share a little about your background, and how you came to study in the US from Mexico?

Fernando Arroyo Lopez: “When I was deciding what career to study, the Great Recession was having its devastating consequences worldwide, and that year in Mexico (2009) we had the H1N1 virus that [also hurt] our economy. Thus, I was very curious about how public policy impacts our everyday life, specifically how it impacts the life of those that are [at a] disadvantage (Mexico has a multidimensional poverty rate of more than 52% of the total population). I wanted to understand the mechanisms that are behind those decisions that affect those in need, so I decided to study economics. While I was in my undergraduate program, I was invited to participate in the International Summer Honors Program at Yale University and Stanford University, where I learned about public policy, inequality, environmental ethics and psychology. Those courses shaped my view towards how I can influence society, and because corruption is a big issue in Mexico, I decided to follow a business path instead of public service. While in my master’s (I hold a Master’s in Management), I discovered the hospitality world, and it changed my perspective of life. I understood that I can help others and the environment while creating hospitality concepts that are in accordance with it. It was a win-win! Thus, after my graduation I went back to Mexico to develop and build a sustainable hotel and restaurant that employs more than 50 people today. We produce our own energy with solar panels, we have a solar heating system for hot water, we filter and purify water in all the building, we only buy local produce, we employ more than 60% women, we recycle, etc., etc., etc. At the same time, because of my passion in academia, I was teaching more than 200 students per year at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where I taught courses such as Global Issues, Current Challenges of Mexico, Economics, and International Politics, among others. While working at Tec de Monterrey, I was invited to teach abroad and participate in International Programs as faculty and staff during summers and winters. That is when I first visited University of Mississippi, during summer of 2018. I was impressed by the beauty of the campus and the hospitality of its people. It was love at first sight. I met the interim chair of the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management and she told me about their new PhD program. So, when the summer finished and I arrived back to Mexico I applied to the program and I got accepted. Now, it is my second year as a PhD student, working at the Institute of Child Nutrition.”

Graduate School: What is your focus area in your doctoral program?

FAL: “The focus area in my doctoral program is Hospitality Management. I’m passionate about lodging experience design. That is, the creation of any experience that happens in any type of lodge or accommodation. It can be seen from either the consumer side or the business side. It involves topics related to the facility design: visual appeal, smell and emotional response of guests, to the sustainability of the building, the development of the property, and the incorporation of innovation and technology. I think that experiences shape our lives, and thus we should be really smart while designing them. It requires a holistic approach because our accelerated and social media driven planet requires all features of the hotel industry to be cautiously reexamined from the perspectives of their importance and position in the life of millions of travelers. [Expectations and needs of] guests are changing in a very high speed, [so] we should design more personalized experiences that are worthy, easy to mix and match, and by correctly enhancing the way consumers sleep, relax, socialize, and travel. All of these [can make] tourism more inclusive, sustainable and by converting it [to be] a driver of economic development of societies. It sounds like a challenging goal, but I think that with research, good planning, execution and inclusion, it is possible.”

Graduate School: Wed love to hear more about TEDxUM and what you spoke about.

FAL: “I spoke about how poverty is measured in the US. I started talking about the history of the official poverty method. It is a method that was built in the 1960’s, and that since its inception has not changed but by adjusting it for inflation only. Several scholars have criticized this methodology. Some say it is not valid in contemporary times, others have said it does not reflect the real dimensions of poverty and others have argued that it does not reflect the severity of this issue. Thus, I created a Multidimensional Poverty Index for the state of Mississippi with the help of Dr. John Green, from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. This multidimensional approach is based on something called social exclusion. That is when a person is deprived of two things: one is basic human rights, such as education, decent housing, access to healthcare, etc.; and the other, is when the individual cannot contribute to the culture where they live. So, if a person is socially excluded, that individual has a limited ability to function and effectively participate in that society. This Multidimensional Poverty Index measures poverty more accurately since it not only includes command over market goods, but includes other dimensions of welfare that are needed for the development of human beings. Following the UN and other international guidelines on poverty measurement, we discovered that the poverty distribution in the state of Mississippi is different while using our index. The poorest counties in the state were no longer those in the Delta, but were located in other regions of the state. That is something very challenging to think about Mississippi, because it is a very nontraditional thought. I presented some maps and concluded about the importance of measuring poverty accurately in the US. I hope to continue this research and find more answers that will help the life of hundreds of thousands of Mississippians (and Americans).”

Graduate School: Anything else youd like to share with UM Graduate School alumni and current students?

FAL: “My first publication will be released this year in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases! I wrote a case study with Dr. Katerina Berezina and Dr. Cindy Choi about the importance of food waste and how information technology can help to reduce it in the hospitality industry (and worldwide). We won Second Place in last year’s ICHRIE Johnson & Wales Case Study Competition. I’m excited for this! Finally, I hope the US recovers from the effects from COVID-19. We should check the Multidimensional Poverty Index after the effects of it. I hope the impact of this health crisis will be as low as possible, but it is imperative to look out for the effects on the poorest. It is our social responsibility! The effects of the virus in the tourism industry are worth analyzing, too.”

   
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