Purdue Gives Indiana Student Foundation for Lifelong Journeys
Name: Blayne Vandeveer
Hometown: Wolcott, IN
Major & concentration: Applied Agricultural Economics
Minors or certificates: Supply Chain Management Technology
Why did you come to Purdue: The world-class Ag Econ department and Purdue’s generosity with scholarships played a large role in my decision, on top growing up in a boilermaker household.
Favorite Purdue tradition: The train horn sounding out after a touchdown
Top three influences at Purdue:
- Andy Oppy and the Ag Econ advising department
- FarmHouse Fraternity
- Professors
Top five memories of your time at Purdue:
- The study abroad trips to Italy and Ireland.
- Game and hangout nights with friends and roommates.
- Meeting Gebisa Ejeta (World Food Prize Laureate) during my freshman year through Old Masters
- Late-night Famous Frank runs.
- Watching FarmHouse’s IM basketball teams compete in Mackey Arena for the IM championship games with most of the house there to cheer for them.
Places you have been as a Purdue student: Italy, Ireland, California, Washington D.C., Kansas
Favorite club/organization: FarmHouse Fraternity
Favorite student-led event/initiative: Old Masters
Favorite Purdue event: Basketball and football games
Favorite social activity: Grand Prix Week
Favorite place to study: Grissom Hall
Favorite place on campus: FarmHouse Fraternity
Favorite thing about CoA: Having friends or knowing people in 90% of the classes I walk into. The CoA is big, but feels small, and the network of people you build within it is full of incredible individuals.
Favorite thing about your major: The advising department for my major is second-to-none.
Favorite class: AGEC 330 or IET 316
Favorite professor(s): Dr. Diego Cardoso, Dr. Todd Kuethe, & Dr. Matthew Stephens
Coolest project: Group project for IET 342 where we designed a warehouse layout, WMS, inventory management system, and supply chain network strategy focused around 3 different products.
Three biggest accomplishments:
- Three phenomenal internships
- Joining the Purdue Ag Envoys
- Staying on track to get out of college debt-free
Things on your resume not listed above: I love staying active and working out, and have a travel bucket list of places to visit once graduated from college.
Accepted employment? Not yet, currently in an internship with Corteva Agriscience in their North American Supply Chain Intern program.
Career goal: Work in a supply chain management role for an agribusiness and eventually pursue a master’s degree in supply chain or ag econ.
Advice for underclassmen: There are times when you take challenging classes you may not like, but do not be afraid to ask the professor and peers for help. Learning to ask for clarification is simple, but it has helped me in every one of my internships and professional experiences.
Biggest takeaway from Purdue: Time flies and there is a lot to take advantage of on campus. It is okay to not be involved in everything and focus on quality of experiences rather than quantity of experiences.
