Khuc Thi Bich Ha won the gold medal for Signature Drinks with her coconut coffee at the 5th International College Students’ Barista Championship 2019.

This championship, jointly organised by the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics and UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, is an annual event that provides opportunities for students from around the world to learn from one another and hone essential industry skills.

During the three-day competition which began on November 25, students competed against other passionate baristas from other schools including MDIS School of Tourism and Hospitality, Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics from China, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta and Universitas Pendidikan of Indonesia, Kolej Komuniti Kuantan and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn from Malaysia and City of Glasgow College from Scotland, UK.

The competition was divided into two categories: “Espresso and Cappuccino Competition” and “Signature Drink Competition” and judged by industry experts such as from the Barista Guild Asia.

Ha, 22 from Binh Duong Province, is one of four students from MDIS winning titles in the competition this year.

Featuring a diverse range of international students, which is a common sight on the Singapore campus, the MDIS School of Tourism and Hospitality fielded a diverse team of students from Singapore, Philippines, Russia, Viet Nam and India.

“I have never tried being a barista before and I wanted to try something new," Ha said. "I also wanted to pay homage to my culture and its famous coffee. During the barista course, I found it quite difficult to do some things and master some skills because it was new to me, but after some time I managed to get the hang of it and improved. I was not very confident in my skills and did not expect I would win, but I just wanted to try my best. So when I won gold for my Signature drink, the Coconut Coffee, I was surprised and ecstatic."

The MDIS School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH), partnering with the University of Sunderland (UK), offers programme specialisations in tourism, hospitality, and events management delivered by an experienced and qualified teaching faculty in Singapore. — VNS