By: MBA Student Advisory Board

Kelley students are known for their commitment to professional development and academic progress. The value of Kelley students in the community is exhibited every day as students go to their full-time careers to put in practice the lessons learned in the classroom. One of the defining advantages of the Kelley Evening MBA program at IUPUI is the location of the program in the heart of the active, growing Indianapolis urban community.

Committing volunteer time to the Indianapolis community is an important part of the development of Kelley students. While many students volunteer their time individually to causes that they support, opportunities to represent Kelley in the community through volunteer service as a group are also available (See Student Advisory Board calendar for upcoming events).

Recently, the Student Advisory Board scheduled a volunteer event at Second Helpings, a local nonprofit that prepares nutritious meals for those in the community. Kelley student Darren Carboni chose to volunteer his time saying, “I wanted to be more involved with the Kelley program and, personally, to find time to give back to the community. The Saturday morning time frame and the idea of a productive morning spent learning as well as getting to know classmates made it the perfect opportunity.” Darren was one of six Kelley students who volunteered time to chop chicken for the 700 meals that were being prepared for the community.

Kelley student Ryan Kowalewski had this to say about the experience, “I chose to volunteer for this event to give something back to the community of Indianapolis. It was very rewarding to learn about where the food was going and just how we were helping the community.”

The value of the experience extends past the 4-hour Saturday morning commitment. Carboni offered this perspective: “First, it’s a good thing to do and helping to prepare meals for those who struggle to make ends meet is a real impact. Also, this is a real world view of another sector. These are groups that rely on corporate funding and private individuals for support. Getting to know these groups is an important way to see what the needs are in society.”

For information about how to get involved and represent Kelley in the community please contact Emily Palmer at emilymariepalmer@gmail.com or visit the Student Advisory Board calendar.