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While many young people progress through their first year of college unsure of the career path they want to follow, ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ senior Addie DeVaney did not experience such uncertainty. While attending college in South Carolina, before transferring to ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ in fall 2023, she took a front desk position working for Marriott Vacation Club, the primary timeshare brand of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation. This experience led her to actively pursue a career in hotel management. 

“My parents are owners with Marriot Vacation Club, so I grew up staying at different properties and I knew about the program,” said DeVaney. “Being on the other side of that working the front desk was such a cool experience and I fell in love with it.” 

To prepare herself for leadership roles in the hospitality industry, DeVaney is majoring in business management. 

Arriving at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ 

Born and raised in Bluffton, South Carolina, DeVaney initially planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a teacher. She even participated in a teacher cadet program while in high school and quickly realized a teaching career was not in her future. 

Seeking a change in scenery while enrolled at a local state college, she began to research schools offering academic and social environments that better fit her career aspirations and personality. Already familiar with the Jacksonville area through family trips to the sunshine state, she found ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ to be the perfect place to explore her academic and professional interests. 

Although nervous about finding her place in a new environment, DeVaney says her time at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ has been an amazing experience because of the endless opportunities for professional and social development afforded to students. 

“There is something at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ that everyone can get involved with, no matter what your interests are,” DeVaney said. 

Campus Activities, Internship and Study Abroad Plans 

As a student enrolled in ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ’s Hicks Honors College, DeVaney is quite active on campus — she is a member of Delight Ministries, an off-campus housing representative in the Honors Student Union and a member of the Swoop Squad, which she joined in fall 2024. 

In the summer of 2024, she returned to her hometown to participate in a management internship at Marriott Vacation Club. This summer, DeVaney will participate in a four-week study abroad business exchange program offered by the Coggin College of Business. As part of the program, she will take courses at EM Normandie Business School in Northern France. 

DeVaney is anxiously looking forward to her upcoming summer travels. 

“I’m excited to be awarded this opportunity,” she said. “It’s my first time studying abroad and my first time traveling across the Atlantic Ocean.” 

Following her impending graduation in fall 2025, she plans to return to Hilton Head Island and resume working for Marriott Vacation Club.