With the importance of representation in mind, it has become apparent the numerous achievements of women in the supply chain management (SCM) program in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has a long established scholarship program that recognizes top students at leading undergraduate SCM programs. Three years ago, Syracuse encouraged the MIT to look at Whitman students.
“The first impression was fantastic,” said Burak Kazaz, Steven Becker Professor of Supply Chain Management Whitman. “And they exceeded their allotted budget by taking away scholarship funds reserved for another university.”
The second year, MIT provided scholarships at the maximum level, and this year Whitman has a total scholarship of $80,000—recognizing two students for the top prize of $25,000 each, three additional honorary recognitions at $10,000 each, and one more student who will be admitted to the SCM program with 50 percent tuition credit.
“This is an amazing amount of recognition,” explained Kazaz. “Verbally we are told numerous times that our students are among the best, if not the best. It is certainly an important external validation.”
Women are AWESOME
Since the adoption of the AWESOME scholarship, Whitman students have been able to compete for the AWESOME Scholar Award for the past five years. Thus far, Syracuse has had four winners, a record that no other school has. The winners are as follows:
2014- Lauryn Kulkarni ‘14
2015- Danielle Shields ‘15
2016- Annie Zheng ‘17
2018- Meghan Tomassetti ‘19
Additional success can be seen with current students, as well as alumnae. For this year’s competition, the following students were recognized: Rachel Melvin ’19 and Meghan Dorsey ‘19 for the $25,000 tuition scholarship, Meghan Tomassetti ‘19, Yaryna Borsuk ‘19, and Jeremy Cronin ’19 for the $10,000 tuition scholarship, and Megan O’Donnell ‘19 and Augustine Ro ’19 as qualified nominees. Tomassetti also was recognized by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) with the AWESOME Award, which celebrates the most outstanding female student in supply chain.
A recent AWESOME scholar, Alyson Weber ’20, an SCM major and food studies minor, is one of women chosen to participate in the CSCMP EDGE Conference and the annual AWESOME Symposium, which takes place in Anaheim, California. “I am looking forward to the networking and learning opportunities at the conference, and the chance to proudly represent Syracuse University,” said Weber.
Jennie Waterfall May ’17 is another one of Whitman’s successful students, who majored in SCM, marketing, and public relations; and competed in 2017. In 2016, Jennie May was a Zinsmeister winner—a prestigious award recognizing excellence in supply chain studies given at the annual Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program. Currently, she is working at Pratt & Whitney as the F135 Alternate Sourcing Manager.
With the support of Whitman, SCM women will continue to have success. “As faculty, we are one of the unique programs with equal or more female tenure-track faculty,” said Kazaz. “We take pride in equal representation in faculty, and with so many of our female students recognized, we are certainly delighted to see that it will be similar representation in the future in the professional field.”
Prior to joining the Whitman School, Julia worked several jobs in service and hospitality, from working as a barista to bartending. Julia enjoys creating through writing blog content and poetry, photography, and other outlets.
- How to Take Charge of Virtual Interviews - November 2, 2020
- Resumes and Cover Letters: Presenting Your Best Self - October 5, 2020
- How to Best Navigate Working from Home - September 1, 2020