Did you know tourism is the number one industry in the Pocono Mountains, supporting more than 38,00 jobs? When visiting your favorite resorts and attractions in the region, many of the friendly faces giving you that great experience are homegrown in classrooms just like this!

Brandon Evans, 19, is busy taking and making orders at Camelback Resort. This sophomore at East Stroudsburg University is already on the path to success as a food and beverage supervisor for one of the Poconos’ top resorts.

“We do back end things as far as crunching numbers and getting our orders in. Front of house we do a lot of face-to-face interaction with the guests because being that we are in hospitality, at the end of the day, the best thing we can do is enhance that guest experience,” he said.

All four years in high school, Brandon took business and hospitality management classes at Monroe Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) in Pocono Township, which gave him the skills to launch his career.

He added, “what I love about my job is being able to increase that guest experience, because you never know what someone is going through in their lives on a day-to-day basis. Now that they're here on vacation, they expect everything to go right. If something goes wrong, I get called, and I’m here to make it right.”

MCTI serves Monroe County's four school districts through 24 programs from automotive and cosmetology to healthcare and hospitality, with industry professionals leading the classes. In the culinary arts program, students create the menu, make, and serve meals at MCTI’s Laurel Lake Café, open to the public Tuesday through Friday.

“We focus more on specific career tracts. Instead of taking an elective at their district for 45 minutes, students are with us 2, 2.5 hours a day for three or four years to get that true, hands-on experience they would get at the college level. Hopefully by the time they leave here, they can join our co-op program where we'll help them get a job and place them in the workforce where they're getting that real-world experience, and being paid at the same time,” said Dr. Dennis Virga, director, MCTI.

And MCTI isn't just for high school students. Director Dennis Virga says there are also night programs for adults of any age looking to kickstart a new career. The Poconos’ hospitality industry offers plenty of fun and rewarding positions, with sustainable wages and opportunities to advance overtime.

“And think it's worth saying, it's not just for our students in hospitality. In all of our programs here, our construction clusters and automotive clusters, there's employment opportunities with the hospitality industry whether it's working directly for them or working for companies that support them,” Dr. Virga added.

MCTI is gearing up to offer even more programs, including sports medicine and a first responders’ program, thanks to this new 17,000 square-foot expansion, which also includes a multi-purpose room and enhances school security. At a recent opening ceremony for the space, culinary students severed the hundreds of guests, while hospitality students will help plan future events here.

“People used to call us the best kept secret in Monroe County. We don't like that. We want people here, and we want people to know what we do. And this new venue will provide an opportunity for our kids to show off their work,” Dr. Virga said.

Autumn Smiley, 18, went through MCTI’s hospitality program in high school, following in her dad and brothers' footsteps. She now works at Great Wolf Lodge, helping guests in retail and attractions including the popular, resort-wide MagiQuest game.

“I love making magic and helping people make memories. And hospitality helps me do just that,” she smiled.

A few years ago, Autumn didn't know what career path to take until filling out a career survey, which eventually brought her here.

She recalled, “it really gave me the opportunity to find who I was. I was quiet, not outgoing, and didn’t really talk to anybody. MCTI put me in the place and gave me the opportunities to figure out that I do enjoy talking to people and I do enjoy getting to know people and their stories,” Autumn added.

The freshman at Northampton Community College's Monroe Campus was recently accepted into Disney’s coveted college program, a dream opportunity for this long-time Disney lover, where she'll live, learn, and work at a Disney property for seven months.

“In my mind, I kind of picture Great Wolf as a mini-Disney. I can take all that I learned at Great Wolf, and bring it to Florida,” she added.

So whether you're still in the kitchen creating your career or looking to slide into a new one, let the Poconos' number one industry help you reach the peak.