Carl Mittleman reported to work as a banquet waiter at a Bainbridge, Ohio, country club one summer night -- and found himself managing the dining room the next night.

"The manager slammed down his keys and walked out," said Mittleman of Lyndhurst, Ohio. "That's when the club owner turned to me and asked me to be dining room manager.

"It was an incredible opportunity to have, especially because I was only 18 at the time," said Mittleman, now 21. "I knew nothing about managing a country club or managing a dining room, except for the nine months of education I had here at the Hotel School. I was underqualified, but the owner gave me a chance to learn. I didn't do well that summer; we had a lot of conflict, but I learned something every day."

Learning from each opportunity has been the hallmark of Mittleman's undergraduate career and work experience at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and a major reason why he was named the winner of the 1997 Drown Prize. The $15,000 cash prize, one of Cornell's richest undergraduate awards, is presented annually to the student who has demonstrated independence and perseverance and holds the promise of making a significant contribution to the hospitality industry. The Drown Prize was established and endowed by hotel owner Joseph W. Drown.

Mittleman's resume is impressive. He spent up to seven semesters as a teaching assistant for four courses and was president of the collegiate chapter of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen, a position that enabled him to travel throughout the country representing Cornell Hotel School students at various national and regional conferences and industry trade shows. Outside of school, he has interned with Aramark Corp., a diversified services company offering food services to Fortune 500 business, stadiums and colleges.

At 21, Mittleman's maturity belies his youthfulness. He is an affable, self-assured young man whose warm, pleasant manner seems well-suited to an industry that demands excellent interpersonal skills and friendly, efficient customer service. During an interview in the Statler Hotel lounge, Mittleman was interrupted frequently by friends and colleagues who offered their hellos. He acknowledged their politeness with a smile, slight wave and a raised brow.

"When I was 18 and managing the country club dining room, the club staff thought I was running for mayor because I was always interacting with the guests," he said. "Of course, I wasn't running for mayor. I just wanted the guests to enjoy their experience and to appreciate what they are paying for."

In his Drown Prize application, Mittleman borrows the words of E.M. Statler, the hotel magnate who built Cornell's Statler Hotel: "Life is service; the one who progresses is the one who gives his fellow man a little more, a little better service."

"Statler's philosophy is applicable to all fields, but it's especially important in the hospitality industry, where the hot food has to be hot, the cold food cold and the room ready and clean," Mittleman said. "But the true challenge in service is about exceeding expectations. If you exceed expectations, then your customers will come back, and that's a good way to promote your organization. The hospitality industry needs to judge its performance on how well it's exceeding guests' expectations."

Mittleman's future goals are to combine quality service, excellent food and stunning vistas in a mountaintop restaurant in Colorado. "I've already named the place Carlorado's," he said with a smile. "An open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant will be surrounded by a dining room where there will be a view from every seat. We'll serve a Rocky Mountain cuisine that will consist of wild game, root vegetables and freshwater fish, and of course we'll serve Rocky Mountain oysters."

For now, Carlorado's is still years away, or as long as it takes his $15,000 Drown Prize investment to help make it a reality. In the meantime, Mittleman will report after graduation to Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. There, working for Aramark, he will manage Rounders, the sports bar and microbrewery.

"Aramark will provide me with many more opportunities to learn and better understand the industry as well as allow me to implement some of what I've learned here at the Hotel School," he said.