Meet Karolina

A Place To Stay

Karolina Przybylska started her education in hospitality in Poland, but she finished her first degree in Cleveland at the Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) Metropolitan Campus. That’s a long trip, even for someone who is a longtimer in the tourism and hospitality industry. “I wanted to finish my degree, and I wanted to have that paper,” Przybylska said. Przybylska is a self-described “people person,” which is a prerequisite for working successfully in the lodging industry. But “that paper” — the associate degree she earned in 2008 — helped her move up the ladder. Today, she is the general manager of Roost, an extended-stay hotel in downtown Cleveland.

“All the things I learned at Tri-C definitely helped me with day-to-day operations. My bosses see that I know what I am doing,” she said. “My degree definitely helped me get into the role I am in now.”
Przybylska chose the lodging industry because “that was the only avenue I had if I didn’t want to study math, physics, biology and chemistry,” she said.

As it turned out, the work suited her. She participated in hotel internships in Kraków and began her lodging industry studies at a vocational school there. A summer trip in 2002 to visit family in Northeast Ohio changed her course. She met a guy, and a year later, she was moving to Cleveland to give the relationship a go. But before long, her education was back on her mind.

She discovered the Hospitality Management program at Tri-C, then housed at the Metropolitan Campus. While the boyfriend didn’t last, some of her credits from Kraków did. They transferred to Tri-C, and in 2005, she enrolled.

“Tri-C is a great, affordable option for your education,” she said. “I was able to pay out of pocket. I was a full-time student and a full-time employee. I could do both, and thanks to that, I don’t have any student debt.”

She learned about all aspects of hotel operations in the program, from boilers and air conditioners to food and beverage to lodging law. Thanks to Tri-C, she has the knowledge to pursue what she enjoys.

“A lot of people work in this business because they enjoy meeting new people,” Przybylska said.
“I used to work at an airport hotel, and a lot of times, you get distressed customers. They come in late at night, stressed out at the airlines, and of course, they blow up at you. Getting them a room and being polite to them can really turn somebody’s day around. That’s the part I like the most.”