Beverly Hills High Opens Doors to Luxury Hospitality with New Career Academy

The marble lobbies and five-star kitchens of Beverly Hills are now classrooms for a select group of high school students.

On Wednesday, Beverly Hills High School officially kicked off its 2025 Career Academy, placing 44 upperclassmen inside some of the most exclusive hotels on the planet for rotations in hospitality, culinary arts, engineering, media, and business operations.

Participants shadow general managers, train with executive chefs, and learn revenue strategy from the people who run the properties that host Hollywood’s biggest nights.

Principal Loan Sriruksa said the experience goes far beyond a tour.

“Our students are not just visiting hotels,” she said. “They are working alongside professionals in some of the most renowned hospitality institutions in the world.”

The idea is simple but rare: give teenagers real access to the industry that defines their hometown.

Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss put it bluntly. “This program reflects what’s possible when a community invests in its students,” he said. The partnership, he added, delivers mentorship and opportunity “that is truly extraordinary.”

None of it would have happened without BHUSD Career Technical Education Coordinator Cindy Dubin, who spent more than a year convincing hotel executives to open their doors to high school students.

For the teenagers chosen, the academy is already changing how they see their future. One participant, junior Sofia Morales, spent last week learning how engineers maintain the fountains at a Rodeo Drive landmark. “I didn’t know that job existed until I watched it happen,” she said.

The rotations continue through the school year, with each student completing several multi-day placements at different properties.