Alumnus
Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?
I completed my undergraduate degree in marketing here, and I loved the faculty, staff, and programs. Campus is also conveniently located in Indianapolis, my hometown. Plus, I knew right away that it had a fantastic reputation with the MBA program ranking #6 in the nation. I know that’s a lot of different reasons, but for me, it really was the best of every world.
What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?
It’s definitely a tie for me. In my undergraduate degree, my favorite accomplishment was being named the 2015 Outstanding Marketing Student and getting to sit on stage at graduation to congratulate all the other students. In the graduate program, I received the 2016 Elite 50 award for community involvement and campus engagement. That was so humbling, and meeting Chancellor Paydar at the Tobias house was an incredible experience.
What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?
Let’s be honest - we have a low cost of living here. Growing up in Indianapolis, I didn’t realize how much that meant until I traveled around the States. It’s just so much more difficult to cover the cost of a college degree plus living expenses in other places.
Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.
- Kelley Indianapolis Student Government – Graduate Representative
I sat on the undergraduate student government executive team as the liaison between them and the graduate program. They’ve undergone a lot of amazing changes, and we’ve gotten to see them come a long way to be who they are today. - BUS X103 Class – Graduate Case Competition Judge/Alumni Networking Speaker
I actually did a couple events with them. As a graduate student, I judged an undergraduate case competition, and as an alumni of the undergraduate program, I spoke at an alumni networking event to try to guide students in their career/college choices. - Honors I-CORE – Alumni Mentor
For the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to kind of do my own thing within the Honors I-CORE program (with the permission of the professors, of course). In the week leading up to their big final presentation, I sit down with the undergraduate students to go through their pitch and provide them with intensive coaching.
The main focus is to get them to think critically about their project’s business strategy and their professionalism in public speaking. I don’t tell them WHAT to do; instead, I just show them HOW, and they do a fantastic job of implementing it themselves. Without a doubt, this has been one of my most rewarding experiences. - Kelley Homeschool Family Day – Graduate Homeschool Alumni Speaker
The Kelley School hosted a day for homeschool families to come to campus to learn about the program, and as a homeschooler, I got to speak about my transition experience. At the end, we held a Q&A session, and I got great opportunity to connect with the prospective students and relate to their families.