Andres Cervantes Cervera, BS’28, grew up in a tight-knit community in South Bend, Indiana, speaking Spanish with the friends, neighbors and family around him. When it came time to choosing a college, Andres wanted to find a place full of opportunities and a community where he could feel at home.
“I chose the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis because it was close to home but also gave me the big city feeling. Plus, it’s right down the street from major companies,” Andres said. “You can also start an internship your first year at Kelley. I really didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Another key selling point was I-Core and getting to work with a real-world company my junior year.”
A Direct Admit to Kelley’s undergraduate program, Andres was visiting campus during Admitted Students Day when he heard about a new program at Kelley called Business Connect. This program offers first-year students who’ve experienced educational disadvantages a ready-made network of classmates and community to help them successfully navigate their first year at Kelley Indianapolis.
“I decided to apply to Business Connect because I really wanted to have a community going into college and be surrounded by other individuals who enjoy business and want to do something in this field,” Andres said. “It gave me the opportunity to network and build a deeper bond with my classmates.”
During IU Indianapolis Bridge Week, the official start to the fall semester, Kelley students in Business Connect had the chance to tour major companies like Eli Lilly, attend fun outings to downtown attractions like the Indianapolis Zoo, and simply get to know one another in a relaxed environment. Andres had decided to major in supply chain and management, and the Business Connect opportunities helped him make important industry connections during his first semester on campus.
“Business Connect offered a session called, ‘Can we talk?’ with 15 to 20 Indianapolis-area business owners. That was a great experience, and I connected with recruiters in supply chain who I’m still in contact with for internships next year,” Andres said. “Being in a new environment can be hard, so having a group of 30 classmates right off the bat whom I can call my friends is something I still appreciate every day.”
Business Connect also offers students mentoring opportunities, tutoring help, and close connections and introductions to the Kelley Indianapolis Career Services office, where they can find support for internship and job searches. Andres is only in his second semester at Kelley Indianapolis, but he already has a mentor who’s a working professional in supply chain at General Electric.
“Being able to provide a mentor and connections within Fortune 500 companies can be really great, especially because you’re young and not sure what career path you want to take or the sector of business world you want to enter,” Andres said. “Having a connection through my mentor who works for General Electric and having connections through Derrick Williams-Bacon [Director of Student Programs] in Business Connect is great. Mr. Williams has been a huge resource at Kelley to help me make connections within all these companies.”
Andres is also making connections in other organizations on campus. He’s serving as the vice president of professional activities for Delta Sigma Pi, the professional business fraternity. He also applied–and was accepted–into Business Plus, another new program at Kelley Indianapolis to help first-year students earn internships right away, rather than waiting until their junior or senior years. At the start of his second semester at Kelley, Andres began a marketing internship at animal health company Elanco.
“Business Plus gave me the opportunity to learn more about corporate America and how to operate in a professional environment,” said Andres, who’s balancing eight classes and 20 hours of internship work. “I’ve had the opportunity to connect with many supply chain professionals at Elanco, including one who asked for my resume and would like to stay in touch. Another offered to mentor me at Elanco and may have a project to help me dip my toes into supply chain. Being able to develop these skills firsthand within a company makes it much easier to pursue opportunities down the line.”
These programs and close interactions with local employers give students the chance to try career fields before they commit to them. Plus, these opportunities bring lessons from the textbook to life as students experience business principles in the real world.
“Much of what I learned in the course X-105, Intro to Business Administration and Fundamentals, is applicable to what I’m doing in my internship, especially as first-year student without much workplace experience,” Andres said. “These experiences help you develop communications strategies, problem-solving skills and a better understanding of what to do when you walk into a completely new situation. Plus, you’ll learn about careers you haven’t even thought of.“
Though he hasn’t even finished his first academic year at Kelley Indianapolis, Andres’s career path is already taking shape. He plans to develop skills, experience, and connections in supply chain so that eventually, he can support the expansion of his family’s bakery business. Andres feels equipped and ready to progress toward his goals, thanks to the strong foundation he has been building at Kelley Indianapolis.
“College can be a very scary place. Find your community through groups like Business Connect,” Andres said. “The opportunities this program can provide are incredible and can make that transition into college a thousand times easier.”
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