In service-driven careers, success is often described in terms of systems, standards, and technical mastery. But for Marie Francoise Therese De Villa, a Certified Hospitality Professional, the foundation of a meaningful career has always been far more human. Early on, she learned that technical skills matter only when paired with something deeper—a genuine concern for the people being served.
As she puts it, “Many people may think of technical skills, but these skills are useless if you don’t love what you are doing.” For De Villa, the work goes beyond transactions. “We don’t only sell experience,” she says. “We leave an impact.”
Her clarity, however, did not come easily. During her senior years in high school, she remembers feeling uncertain and disconnected while classmates already seemed to know their paths. “I was a lost soul during my senior years in high school,” she recalls. “When everybody in my class knew who they wanted to be, I was there trying to keep myself together.” The fear of not establishing a career lingered, pushing her to move cautiously rather than force decisions she was not ready to make.
She chose to take life at her own pace. “I took things one at a time, at my own pace,” she says. That decision eventually led her to culinary studies, where she discovered that her passion had been quietly forming long before she recognized it. Looking back, she realized that her love for food, helping people, and celebrations had always pointed in this direction. “Sometimes you must get lost in order to find yourself,” she reflects.
As she built her career, De Villa became increasingly convinced that staying competitive in a changing industry starts with understanding people, not trends. “To stay driven, we must know who we are catering to and how we can help them to the best of our abilities,” she explains. In her view, professionals are not just service providers—they are problem solvers. “After all, we are solution providers to our clients and guests.”
One piece of advice has consistently shaped how she handles growth and ambition. She was reminded to keep dreaming while remaining grounded. “Eyes on the skies, feet on the ground,” she says. As responsibilities increase, she believes humility becomes even more important. “A person’s character speaks volumes; you may know so much, but you cannot know it all.”
Pressure, she observes, often pushes people into survival mode. Rather than shrinking under it, she trained herself to reframe difficult moments. “When overwhelmed with pressure, people tend to box themselves into surviving their day-to-day,” she says. “I, on the other hand, find ways to make this a learning experience.” She began viewing challenges as opportunities to grow, describing them as “little side quests we must conquer,” reminding herself that “there is so much more waiting for us to be explored.”
This mindset also shapes how she thinks about long-term career sustainability. For De Villa, growth requires constant curiosity. “Professionals may future-proof their careers by learning something new daily, leaving their comfort zones, and promoting the industry’s beauty,” she says, emphasizing that opportunity often appears only when people are willing to open themselves to it.
Her leadership philosophy follows the same human-centered approach. Through leading teams under pressure, she learned that authority means little without presence. “Show up,” she says simply. Over time, she realized that connection matters more than credentials. “No matter how smart you are as a leader, if your members don’t feel that connection, you have failed as a leader.” Leadership, she believes, carries responsibility rather than recognition. “Leadership is not some trophy you pose with for clout,” she adds. “It is a weight that you carry throughout.”
Looking back on her journey, De Villa sees a clear pattern. Skills can be taught. Systems can evolve. But without empathy, humility, and genuine care for people, none of it endures. That belief continues to guide her work today, grounded in the same principle she learned early on—that service is not just about delivering experiences, but about leaving a lasting impact on the people who receive them.
