Alumni Spotlights

What does your job entail? 

I am currently part of the procurement team in the supply chain department at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. This group is combined with fleet service agents and commodity buyers and the team’s primary function is provisioning vessels with hotel, food, and beverage items. As an agent myself, I am the lifeline between the ships and suppliers, and my primary function is to coordinate the items mentioned above delivered to each one of the company’s brands’ (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, and Pullmantur Cruises) vessels.

The process of provisioning ships starts by executing the creation of ordering and storing schedules driving a timely submission of purchase orders with appropriate loading ports. Once orders are entered and suppliers receive and confirm them, we are in charge of following up, obtaining ETA on goods and services, and assessing with the on board crew for proper timely deliveries. Although throughout the chain we consistently look for 100% fulfillment; undoubtedly, we deal with issues such as shortages, missed deliveries, and delayed containers that implicate not only financial impact, but also risk guest dissatisfaction. These are immediately followed with synchronization of alternative resources such as recoveries with local suppliers and airfreights. Finally, once deliveries are accurately made, along with the accounting department, we process, authorize, and approve invoices to be paid accordingly.

How did your Niagara education prepare you for this position?

Niagara as both my school and community gave me so much and certainly continues to give me every day. From my very first day in town meeting Myriam Witkowski, then Assistant Dean of the College of Business Administration, I knew I had arrived at a place I could call home. Being part of organizations like Beta Gamma Sigma and Delta Epsilon Sigma, to working with mentors, advisors, and professors like Dr. James Kling, Jack Ampuja, and Dr. John Stranges, Niagara has not only prepared me for my current job but has also made me unquestionably a much better person. Having English as my third language then, I knew it was never going to be easy nor simple; however, I thank everyone at Niagara for challenging me and testing my skills and abilities to succeed, because it definitely got the best out of me.

What drew you to Niagara University?

I first came to the U.S. from my hometown Caracas, Venezuela with the purpose of attending school and playing soccer at the highest level possible. I attended another Division I school in Florida but then transferred out after my sophomore year. I was looking for a better opportunity and enrolled at Niagara in the fall semester of 2014. My decision was not easy as I was moving even further away from my family and home country, but I could not be happier with the outcome. I was lucky enough to lead and captain Niagara’s NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Team for multiple seasons. 

Any advice to incoming freshmen?

Adapting to new scenarios is always challenging and it involves courage. However, just because it is difficult, we should not avoid it. Certainly, I would encourage everyone to accept new challenges and set goals. It is amazing how capable we are. Moreover, joining societies, leadership teams, and sporting organizations definitely made my adaptation a lot easier. I also had the pleasure of working with many professors, tutors, and  fellow students as NU provides various tools for that to happen. Undoubtedly, these helped me tremendously.