Hayley Peterson, Penn State Student
Peterson's dad was once a business logistics major at Smeal, with the famous Dr. Novack as one of his favorite professors. He encouraged Peterson to make the connection and so she took Dr. Novack’s SCM 301H class to help her decide what business element she wanted to study.
On the third day of class, Dr. Novack showed her class a slide of the 17 different career paths that someone in supply chain could explore. Right then and there, Peterson felt in her heart that this career flexibility was exactly what she needed — wanted.
“I have been lucky to have so much support at Penn State as a woman in supply chain,” Peterson said, passionately. “I was able to meet so many students, professors, and professionals through the Center of Supply Chain Research® and numerous supply chain courses.”
During her junior year, Peterson was nominated and selected to be an AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply chain Operations, Manufacturing, and Education) Scholar, bridging her to the opportunity of meeting other female supply chain students from schools around the nation. It led her to working with CSCR to promulgate a panel of women in supply chain, so that all female students could feel like they have a space in this industry that is still predominantly male.
Peterson finds that it’s the connections, relationships and supportive culture that matter most when it comes to plunging forward in supply chain career goals.
“Within Penn State, I have been able to connect with professors at Penn State, and I have specifically been supported by Dr. Robert Novack and Dr. Brent Moritz. I also have formed relationships within CSCR, and Lauren Betchel and Tracie Shannon have helped me with development as well,” she explained. “When I look for a full time position, I want to work for a company with an inclusive culture [which can be represented through] female leaders.”
Peterson would recommend all young women entering the industry to make the most of the opportunities at hand. Whether it be joining an organization of interest, taking an internship/co-op or attending a professional development event, there is so much out there to explore, experience and use to solidify a professional foundation for supply chain.
And these days, the topic of supply chain itself is one of utter importance. Peterson knows this is where she belongs, as the world uncovers its supply chain needs turn after turn, need after need, shelf after shelf.
“I never regretted choosing supply chain as a major [and] the COVID-19 pandemic [underscored its importance to me],” Peterson said. “I was always interested in supply chain optimization versus flexibility, and supply chain risk was a huge topic throughout the pandemic. This was the first time that [the world started to talk about and understand] what supply chain is.”
If you want to learn about more professional resources CSCR has to offer, email Tracie Shannon at tshannon@psu.edu