On April 11, 2026, students in hospitality and tourism management courses presented Puttin’ on the RITz: Passport to Hospitality at the Genesee Valley Club in downtown Rochester. The formal event featuring a globally inspired menu was completely student designed and managed—they created the menu from scratch and handled registration, marketing, and logistics. This marked the first time in nearly a decade that Puttin’ on the RITz, a 40-year tradition and signature RIT event, had been held.
Dan Jin, assistant professor in the department of international hospitality and service innovation, was principal faculty advisor for the event.
Participating students:
Leadership Team
- Annalise Baker ‘26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Brooke Milliken ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Alexandria Borkowski ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Ashley DeMaine ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
Registration
- Kristal Jenkins ’27 (communication)
- Jessica Cody ’28 (marketing)
- Hannah Slater ’26 (school for individualized study)
Kearns / Front Lobby Cocktail Hour
- Joel Maldonado ’27 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Cariysa Powell ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Genevieve Jacobs ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
Green Porch
- Alex Christopoulos ’24 (global business management)
- Emily Weldon ’28 (community development & inclusive leadership)
- Miles Wong ’28 (marketing & mis)
- Hayden Abramson ’28 (computational mathematics)
- Kymari Williams ’28 (hospitality & tourism management)
Red Grill
- Luke Hand ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Coffey King ’27 (accounting)
- Kyndall Smith ’28 (hospitality & tourism management)
Cocktail Hour Hand Passers
- Raphael Knauf ’28 (marketing & English)
- Andreea Popa ’28 (global business management)
- Sindhu Munugoti ’27 (computing & information sciences)
- Noa Lee ’28 (business exploration)
- Megi Karin ’27 (global business management)
Main Dining Room Clearers
- Carmella Martin ’28 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Lexi Fuhrer ’29 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Tulip Bailey ’26 (graphic design)
- Cariysa Powell ‘26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Genevieve Jacobs ‘26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Emily Weldon ’28 (community development & inclusive leadership)
- Miles Wong ’28 (marketing & mis)
- Hayden Abramson ’28 (computational mathematics)
- Kymari Williams ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Coffey King, accounting '27
- Kyndall Smith ’28 (hospitality & tourism management)
Main Lounge Station Runners
- Raphael Knauf ’28 (marketing & English)
- Andreea Popa ’28 (global business management)
- Sindhu Munugoti ’27 (computing & information sciences)
- Noa Lee ’28 (business exploration)
- Megi Karin ’27 (global business management)
Back of House / Culinary
- David Lanpher ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Dan Hooper ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Raimi Tapiawala ’27 (MS hospitality business management)
Masters of Ceremony (MCs)
- Alexandria Borkowski ’26 (hospitality & tourism management)
- Marin Grabovac ’27 (hospitality & tourism management)
See more photos here.
