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Hospitality and Lodging Trainers

Magdalena Eleanor Sosa

Magdalena Eleanor Sosa is a business teacher at San Pedro High School. Originally from the Stann Creek District, she has been living in San Pedro Town for almost 18 years. She has been teaching at San Pedro High School for 14 years, focusing on hospitality and office administration at both the 3rd and 4th form levels. She is always looking for new ways to develop more skills and gain expertise to bring into the classroom. Her teaching philosophy is to create a positive environment where each person is treated equally and respectfully.

Minelli Evelyn Romero

Minelli Evelyn Romero is a Tourism Front Office Instructor at Cayo Center for Employment Training where she equips trainees with hands-on skills in hospitality and Excellent Customer Service. With over a decade of teaching experience-including roles at Santa Elena Baptist Primary School and Instituto Hispano Americano in Mexico, Minelli specializes in child-centered instruction and practical, skills-based education. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she is recognized for her engaging teaching style and commitment to student success.

A Unique Fun Fact: Minelli is the voice of professional boxing in Belize and announced the country’s first female championship fight in San Pedro, which featured world silver atom weight champion Esneidy Rodriguez.

Juan Vega

John Vega is a Tourism Hospitality Management Instructor at the Cayo Center for Employment Training (CCET) with three years of teaching experience. He brings real-world knowledge from working at some of Belize’s top resorts, including Blancaneaux Lodge, Victoria House, and San Ignacio Resort Hotel. John is passionate about guiding students toward excellence in customer service and professionalism through hands-on, practical training. He believes that Great Hospitality is all about creating memorable experiences.

Melissa Aldana

Melissa Aldana began her teaching career in 2012 in Belize City and moved to San Pedro in 2017, where she joined the faculty at San Pedro High School. She holds a Master of Science in Management and Educational Leadership. She believes in continuously expanding her knowledge and embracing every learning opportunity. Her mission is to inspire and cultivate entrepreneurial skills in the next generation, empowering them to build innovative and sustainable businesses for the future.

Orissa Castillo

Orissa Castillo currently serves as the Front Office/Customer Service Instructor at the Stann Creek Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET). She has been an educator for approximately 12 years, with her primary expertise in the Tourism Department. She is passionate about creating inclusive and engaging learning environments where students feel empowered to grow, ask questions, and connect their learning to real-world experiences.

Berwick Busano

Berwick Busano was born in June 1987 in Belize City, where he developed a love for learning and connecting with others from an early age. After the passing of his father, a BDF soldier, his family relocated to Dangriga, where he continued his education and began shaping his passion for service. Inspired by the joy of helping others, he pursued a career in customer service and tourism, which eventually led him to teaching. Today, he proudly shares his knowledge and experience with trainees at Stann Creek ITVET, where he strives to inspire the same passion for excellence and human connection.

Tanigi Palacio

Tanigi Rose Palacio is a teacher at Toledo Community College with over six years of classroom experience. She teaches a variety of subjects, including Tourism Management, Principles of Business, and Home and Family Resource Management. She is known for making her lessons practical and engaging, always aiming to help students connect what they learn to real-life situations. Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time in the kitchen, baking is one of her greatest passions, second only to teaching.

Shirlene Casimiro

Shirlene Casimiro hails from the beautiful town of Peini, Punta Gorda. She was born on July 11 and was raised by her amazing parents, Mrs. Nancy Casimiro and Mr. Julius Casimiro, both retired educators. Their love, dedication, and passion for the teaching profession inspired her to become an educator herself, a role she has embraced for the past 29 years. In her spare time, she enjoys event planning, creating piñatas, cooking, and baking. She also supports the Wine and Chocolate Festival by training students to serve at the annual gala. Shirlene is committed to her work and devotes her time to educating others and ensuring success in all she undertakes. She remains focused on achieving her goal of improving the tourism industry in Belize, her beloved homeland.

Hugo Panti

Hugo Panti was born on November 12, 1970, in the village of San Jose Succotz in the Cayo District, Belize. With over two decades of experience in tourism operations and tourism education, Hugo is a dedicated professional passionate about shaping the next generation of industry experts. Having trained tour guides and hospitality staff across Belize, Hugo specializes in curriculum design, performance coaching, and service excellence. He continues to empower professionals through structured training and innovative learning strategies.

Frank Hachmann

Frank Hachmann is a Lecturer in Tourism Management at the University of Belize, where he teaches courses in advanced sustainable tourism, cultural heritage, product development and policy & planning. With over 15 years of international experience in seven countries, including managing private island operations, PADI Dive Center and leading ecotourism projects in protected areas, he blends practical knowledge with academic depth. Holding an M.A. in Sustainable Tourism Management and a B.Sc. from the Technical University of Munich, he furthermore gained cooperate level experience in product management. Frank believes that the most meaningful learning happens in the field. A native of Germany, he has called Belize home for more than a decade.