Supply chain management major Bridgette Larsen of Winchester, Virginia, recently was honored with the R. Gene Richter Scholarship, the country’s preeminent supply management academic award. She becomes the second student from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to garner the scholarship in its 17-year history. Earlier this year, Larsen also was named a 2021 Traffic Club of Pittsburgh Scholar, and she was just announced as a recipient of the 2021 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship.
“I am immeasurably grateful to the Richter family, the members of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh and the ladies of AWESOME who have played a crucial role in helping me pursue higher education,” Larsen says. “Their generosity and immense passion for supply chain management have motivated me to continue learning and to think innovatively. In the spirit of the Volunteer Tradition, I hope to one day pass the torch to the next generation of aspiring professionals in supply chain management who aim to test the limits of how we do business in the 21st century.”
Larsen was one of just four students chosen this year to receive the Richter scholarship by its sponsors, the R. Gene and Nancy D. Richter Foundation and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). For winners, the scholarship offers tuition assistance, executive mentoring, peer mentoring and networking opportunities.
The Traffic Club’s scholarship is a merit-based grant for outstanding students majoring in supply chain management or related fields of study, and Larsen was one of a select few students to receive it in 2021. AWESOME, which is dedicated to achieving women’s excellence in supply chain operations, management and education, offers its scholarship to provide university women enrolled in a full-time supply chain degree program with the opportunity to attend the AWESOME Symposium and the CSCMP EDGE Conference as well as providing awardees with a monetary stipend.
“Bridgette has actively pursued every opportunity to learn more about supply chain, which demonstrates her commitment to success in the classroom and beyond,” says Mary Long, managing director of Haslam’s Supply Chain Forum and an AWESOME advisory board member. “I have no doubt that she will be a future supply chain executive leader and an outstanding role model for other women throughout her career.”
Larsen’s achievements and activities at Haslam include being a Scholar of Distinction, an accolade bestowed on top-performing supply chain management undergraduates; a Haslam Lead Ambassador, in which she serves as a resource and expert for other undergraduates; a mentor in the Peer Mentoring program, in which she assists new students with the transition from high school to college; a member of the French National Honor Society, Pi Delta Phi; a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP); and president-elect of NeXxus: Connecting Women in Supply Chain.
Larsen learned of the Richter scholarship through a joint event held by NeXxus and CSCMP, and, as NeXxus president, she plans to promote this opportunity in the fall semester.
“I hope to continue this event because it is a great resource for students to find these scholarships and an incredible opportunity to network,” she says.
CONTACT:
Scott McNutt, business writer/publicist, rmcnutt4@utk.edu