On Monday, May 21, Culinary 2 students visited the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose — an ongoing tradition for the past five years — to learn about careers in tourist attraction, management and hospitality.

Members of the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Club and 35 Culinary 2 students attended the one-hour long “Mansion Tour.” This tour is part of FCCLA’s National Program, Career Connection, which exposes students to job opportunities in family and consumer sciences.

“I base my selection of field trips on getting students out into the community to see a variety of careers in the hospitality industry,” Culinary Arts teacher Kathy Hopp said.

The Winchester Mystery House is a source of employment for high school students above the age of sixteen and provides jobs within the industry, such as becoming a tour guide, according to Hopp.

This is only one of many field trips FCCLA or Culinary Arts students can attend, including visits to the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel for exposure in hotel management, Google’s culinary department, and San Jose State University to learn about its hospitality program.

Junior Sean Nguyen believes it’s important for people to know about the Winchester Mystery House’s educational experience even if they are not interested in entering the hospitality field. “It gives perspective on how tough it can be to have a job involving dealing with customers,” Nguyen said.