Mia Dunleavy ’28

Junior hospitality management major Mia Dunleavy got a taste of her future profession this summer as a cruise director for the Gateway Clipper Fleet, a group of five riverboats in Pittsburgh that cruise the city’s famous Three Rivers, the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio. 

The Gateway Clipper offers cruises for sightseeing, dining and a unique way to shuttle to and from professional sports stadiums on the North Shore of the Ohio River. The company also works private events, such as weddings and corporate events.

Dunleavy worked them all, getting a variety of experience.

“It was definitely a different kind of experience,” she said. “I got to get a glimpse into how a service industry is run. I was able to manage some things but have someone more senior to rely on.”

The management experience, she said, was particularly valuable. “It was a little intimidating,” she said. “I was getting the experience of a supervisor while workers already knew what their jobs entailed.”

Dunleavy said her supervision primarily meant making sure people were doing what they were supposed to and making sure everything ran on time, which is critical at an event that stops when the boat returns to the dock.

“It really helped with my people skills,” she said. “Before this, I was very shy. It got me out of my comfort zone, so it helped with my social awareness.”

That social awareness also meant paying the utmost attention to safety on a boat where alcohol is served and even learning how to manage intoxicated individuals.

Dunleavy said she became interested in hospitality through her love of baking and cooking.

“I originally wanted to attend school to learn something with a culinary aspect, but I’m also a collegiate athlete.” 

Pitt-Bradford allowed her to continue her softball career while learning about business along with subjects like food service management, principles of food preparation and food and beverage cost control.

Maybe the most important thing she learned during her internship is that she liked what she did and plans to continue pursuing a career in hospitality.