INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Kelley School of Business Indianapolis senior Andrew Welling said he was surprised to learn that he’d won two student awards.
“I was stunned,” he remembered. “My dad called and said I had two letters from IUPUI. I just figured that I owed something, and they were reminding me about commencement. He told me I had won the Outstanding Supply Chain Management Student Award and that I’d won the J. Dwight Peterson Award. I couldn’t believe it.”
The J. Dwight Peterson Key Award is the most prestigious award conferred by the IU Kelley School of Business Indianapolis. J. Dwight Peterson graduated from Indiana University in 1919. After college he served briefly in World War I before going on to sell bonds. In 1924 he was responsible for naming City Securities, the oldest and largest independent investment firm in Indiana; he became the company’s president in 1934.
The award in his name is presented to the overall outstanding senior on the basis of superior scholarship, extracurricular activities and character. This year that student is Welling, a supply chain management, marketing and international studies major, mentor in the Business Learning Community and member of student government. A direct admit to the Kelley School, Welling is also a member of the National Association of Purchasing Management and the Operations-Supply Chain Management Club. He’s proud of the relationships he’s made at Kelley Indianapolis.
“The biggest thing is just the networking, the support group of people that I’ve met, along with just the real world experiences,” said Welling. “As a freshman, I was able to go to New York, where I visited the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. I got to go to Strasbourg, France and see how European business is conducted. I’ve gone to multiple case competitions in Detroit and Chicago. So I’ve not only met people from Indiana and the United States, but also people from around the world. We’ve been able to work with a lot of companies through our projects, so it’s not just textbook-based.”
Upon graduation, Welling plans to find a supply chain management job in the Indianapolis area. He’s confident about his job search.
“I’m not scared at all,” he said. “I know a lot of people who are graduating are scared [about their job prospects]. I feel well prepared; I feel like I have a good network of people. When I interview, I’m confident that I am a qualified candidate. I’m not worried about the competition because I know I’m well rounded and prepared for the job ahead.”