Eric Norman’s time at UNT started in 2004 when he enrolled in the Hospitality Management program with the intent to one day own his own restaurant. He served as a college ambassador, leading tours and introducing potential students to the degrees offered in the college. During the summer of his sophomore year Eric went on a study abroad program to New Zealand and became interested in the relationship between tourism and conservation. After interning at the San Francisco Airport Marriott and taking a job at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. When the M.S. in International Sustainable Tourism (MIST) was launched, he knew it was a perfect fit for his goals. After completing the last year of the degree in Costa Rica, he accepted a position with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), married Joanna, a fellow UNT-graduate, and they made their home in the town of Turrialba. Their time surrounded by such beautiful landscapes, and a slower pace of life, gave the couple lots of time to think about the life they wanted to live, and they decided to pursue a plan Eric had long considered something he would do only after retirement - making shoes. Currently, Eric is continuing his education as a shoemaker’s apprentice at a small shop in Flint, Michigan. Eric feels fortunate to have attended UNT, not only because it is where he met his wife, but also because it is here he was exposed to perspectives different from his own, and developed many of the characteristics that drive him forward.