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Portrait of Brian Aki Zao

Honor Society® member

Brian Aki Zao

  • University of Nevada-Las Vegas
  • Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management
  • Class of 2029
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Member since December 2025

About

I am proud to be Half Japanese, Half Chinese. My experience studying in international schools, and has exposed me to to various cultures and perspectives, creating an open minded approach to life. I am currently pursuing a Bachelors Degree at the #1 Hospitality Management College in the United States, with a keen interest in the Hospitality industry; Food and Beverages, Hotel Management, and Event and Design Management.

My passion for the food and beverage industry grew while managing a self-owned ramen business, where I optimized operations and improved customer engagement, additionally gaining further experience and knowledge while working in a Napoli Style Pizza Restaurant. I have developed skills in project management and team leadership through multiple school initiatives, including organizing school wide events and supporting students in finding internships.

I am very eager to apply my trilingual ability, passion for cultural diversity, and customer service skills to create memorable experiences and be involved within a team that values creativity and inclusivity.

Education

  • UNLV

    Hospitality Management

    2025 – Present

  • UWC ISAK Japan

    International Baccalaureate Diploma

    2024 – 2025

Goals and interests

Career goal

Management in Food and Beverage Operations

Graduate school interests

Masters in Finance or Business School

Outside the classroom

Playing Basketball or any sports in general, Listening to Music, Playing the Drums, Cooking for family and friends.

Experience

  • Waiter

    Sakaba Masaka

    Dec 2025 – Jan 2026

  • Intern

    Falcone Neo-Neapolitan Pizza

    Jun 2024 – Jul 2024

Volunteering

  • Head of English Communications: My duties were to send survey's to 200+ students every few months about job preferences and to use the results to reach out to professional companies we had researched extensively, as well as those who work closely with the school. In addition, I created intern applications on behalf of 10+ companies and liaised between companies and interns. In total, I helped 15+ students go on internships.

    Our Duty Project

    Aug 2023 – Dec 2024

  • Founder of Garbage Cleanup Organization: A sustainability group that will focus on the sustainability, positivity, health and wellbeing of not just the ISAK campus, but our beloved community of Karuizawa. Every month we organized a garbage cleanup for our local community. As the founder, I planned cleanups, communicated with the local community of Ohinata and the school body, designed posters for marketing, and managed social media. I led 30+ students to conduct monthly garbage cleanups from the local area, averaging 20kg of collected garbage per session.

    ISAK ECHO (Environmental Community Help Organization)

    Aug 2022 – May 2024

Languages

  • English (US) Advanced
  • Japanese Fluent
  • Chinese (Simplified) Intermediate