As members of the 50th anniversary class of the Business Opportunity Program begins their first year at Purdue, Krannert continues a $4 million endowment campaign and class challenge through December 2019 to support the program in perpetuity. For more information, visit giving.purdue.edu/BOP50 or contact givingtokrannert@purdueforlife.org. (Photo by Dave Mason)
Endless summers
In 2014, Hannah Smith (BS ECON ’18) had the opportunity to spend eight weeks on Purdue’s campus taking classes and building relationships through BOP before starting her first semester as a freshman.
“Choosing to forgo my last summer at home before college was honestly scary to me, and even scarier was the fact that I would have to be on campus the day after my high school graduation,” Smith says. “However, when I look back on that time, I realize how much it shaped my college experience.
“Not only did that summer turn out to be extremely successful for me academically, it was also a success personally and professionally. I became much more confident in my abilities to transition into college and find my strengths within business, and also had a newfound family within the program. Even after the summer program ended, I realized that my time in BOP was far from over. The program has been a guiding force throughout my entire college experience, affording me leadership experiences and continuous support.”
Smith, whose summer internship with Goldman Sachs in 2017 led to a full-time offer as a human capital analyst in the financial services company’s New York offices upon graduation, says her BOP experience is her fondest memory of Purdue.
“I owe so much to my BOP classmates, program advisor, mentors and friends for motivating and challenging me,” she says. “When I was a Krannert Ambassador and prospective students asked if giving up their summer before college to participate in BOP was worth it, my answer was always ‘yes.’ And it always will be.”
Ever grateful
Darren Young (BSM ’18), an information security analyst at Eli Lilly and Co., has a simple message for everyone who provides financial support to the Dr. Cornell A. Bell Business Opportunity Program.
“I just want to say ‘thank you.’ Without your generosity, none of this would have been possible for me,” Young says. “It is my hope that you see how your contributions to BOP are making a huge positive impact on the lives of young adults each and every day.
“I thought I knew what it took to succeed in the business world, but I quickly discovered how much I had to learn. From how to dress business professional to landing a corporate internship, my development through BOP has made all the difference.”
During his time at Purdue, Young completed three internships, served as a Krannert Management ambassador and president of the Society of Minority Managers, and was selected as a program fellow in Management Leadership for Tomorrow. In addition to his BOP scholarship, he was also chosen as an Emerging Leader Scholar and named a member of the Barbara Cook Chapter of the Mortar Board National Honor Society.
“The relationships I made in BOP and across Purdue shaped me into the young man that I am today,” he says. “BOP surrounded me with like-minded, talented young adults who pushed me to be better every single day and welcomed me into a network that I’ll be a part of for the rest of my life.”
In fact, one of the first things that Young did after receiving his diploma in May was make a contribution to help support BOP. “I want to reiterate how grateful I am to the BOP community,” Young says. “You have inspired me to help other young people with a dream to make it a reality at Purdue University.”
