A bold yet calculated career shift has found Shelisia Miller making even more career moves as she becomes the newest housekeeping supervisor at Sandals Royal Caribbean.
To say her ‘risk’ has paid off would be an understatement as the Westmoreland native took a leap of faith, moved from a comfortable seven-year position as a chef at another company to pursue a chance for growth and development. She took a chance at Sandals and has not looked back.
Miller could not be more career-driven if she came with an engine installed. She admits that life came with its fair share of challenges, having been a young mother at the time she began her stint in the tourism industry as a cook. Due to a medical condition, however, she had to make a career shift and moved to the front office as a telephone operator. However, with her zeal to rapidly climb the career ladder, she felt stagnant in her role, and over time she knew she would have to make a change.
She details, “Before Sandals, I was working at my previous job in the same position with only hopes of progressing. I wanted to grow but with no chance for advancement, I became comfortable and began to abandon the dreams I once had for myself of moving up the ladder into a supervisory and eventually a management level. My drive to be a manager however reignited during my last pregnancy. When I found out it was going to be a girl, my only daughter, I was faced with the toughest career decision of my life. I could either change positions in the company I had already given so many years to or I could take my chances with Sandals, a company that was growing at a rapid pace.”
“Something shifted for me. The motivation I had lost came back and I knew I wanted to be the mother that my little girl could look up to. I knew I needed to go to a place that would mould me to my fullest potential. After doing my share of research on Sandals, hearing about the many perks of the job and spending a good amount of time praying about the decision, I am here today at Sandals Royal Caribbean and it is the best decision I have ever made,” Miller continued.
Starting in the Club Sandals Concierge Department and successfully handling guest engagement for three years, a shift to housekeeping may seem a surprise to some but a clear path for advancement to Miller.
She explained, “Sandals has a great culture of possibility and this is fostered throughout.
My experience at Club Sandals has helped me tremendously. I worked closely with the cabana agents, the butler department, housekeeping and almost every other arm of the resort. This allowed me to understand and appreciate the functions and duties of the other departments and I quickly realized that there is a role at Sandals for everyone. I asked lots of questions and volunteered within most of the departments as I knew it would only benefit me in the end to find my rightful place when I decided to cross-train”. Housekeeping was the obvious choice, as this area had always been a passion of mine during my stint in the hospitality industry.
Throughout her journey, Miller continues to receive overwhelming support and encouragement from fellow team members at the resort.
She stated, “My mentor Karen ParagonSingh encourages me daily. She is my professional role model who begun guiding me from early on. My General Manager Ms. Dawn Smith constantly reminds me that with God in the midst I can achieve anything I set my mind to and my current manager Kemar Russie has always supported my growth and pushes me to dream higher. They all gave me tremendous support me when it came time to cross-train and gave me advice that eventually led me to Housekeeping”.
Kemar Russie housekeeping manager had this to say about Shelisia joining his department, “Her transition from Club Sandals to now Housekeeping has truly been rewarding and remarkable as her energy and passion continue to shine throughout, not just in the department but the division and hotel by extension “
Miller thanks her managers for entrusting her with major projects such as the Highgrove Village which is the resort’s newest addition of 48 rooms. “When I was given the opportunity to manage Highgrove so early on in my supervisory position, I knew I had to deliver spectacularly in every area as a show of my dedication to my role. On the day of the grand opening my general manager and manager commended me enthusiastically and that was a personal victory for me. My mentor even told me that I should look at the Highgrove building as my mini hotel and even though the building is always at peak occupancy, I can proudly say there hasn’t been a single complaint thus far.”
The new housekeeping supervisor shows no sign of becoming complacent again and plans to climb further up the ladder using the resources she now has at her disposal. “I never had the opportunity to further my education after high school and now through the Sandals Corporate University I have begun pursuing my degree in hospitality management online. This allows me to continue in my full-time role as mother and housekeeping supervisor. I never thought this could be possible, but now, thanks to Sandals, my dreams of moving up to the position of executive is an arm length away.”
