Posted on May 15, 2023 by Wendy Frost
Lilian Udenenwu’s graduation from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business at UTSA will be bittersweet. She is excited to start a new chapter in her life with Whirlpool, but she will miss the friendships that she’s developed during her time at UTSA. Udenenwu will receive her B.B.A. in operations and supply chain management this month.
“I’ve met so many wonderful and amazing people here at UTSA,” said Udenenwu, a Houston native. “I’ll miss the connections and experiences that I had on this campus.”
Choosing to come to UTSA because of its top-ranked business school, she felt like she was welcomed to campus with open arms. Joining student organizations early on helped her create lifelong friendships and meet students from similar backgrounds. She was a member of both the African Students Association and Women of Honor.
Running an online women’s boutique from her apartment, Udenenwu chose to focus on supply chain management her sophomore year due to her entrepreneurial experiences.
“I realized that I was running my own supply chain operation for my business,” she said. “I fell in love with the process even more. I learned so much about purchasing an logistics.”
Following that passion she became active in the college’s Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) student organization and served as vice president this past year. “We revamped the organization last year,” said Udenenwu, who also interned as a product manager at Fash Capital Group in San Antonio. “We brought in guest speakers, hosted company tours and had a lot of professional development workshops and activities for our members.”
Relishing learning more about the supply chain industry, Udenenwu notes that her favorite classes were Supply Chain Management with Werner Teichroeb and Logistics Management with Kefeng Xu. She appreciated that both classes went into a lot of detail on subjects that will be beneficial in her new career. Both faculty members also served as advisors for the ASCM student organization.
Beginning her job search last year, she researched and applied for several positions through LinkedIn. Following a lengthy interview process, she was selected as a quality engineer in Whirlpool’s Global Supply Chain Leadership Development Rotational Program.
“I really loved their company culture, their diversity and what they do within the community,” said Udenenwu, who’ll begin her job in July. “I’ll get to touch all areas of supply chain such as logistics, procurement and manufacturing and see what is the best fit for me.”
Grateful for the preparation and support from her faculty, she is ready to tackle this new assignment. “I truly adored all of my professors,” she said. “They were so welcoming and eager to help any student who had questions or were curious to learn more.”
Cherishing her moments at UTSA, Udenenwu is looking forward to one last walk around campus to soak in the memories before she leaves. But, while she may be leaving San Antonio and UTSA, she’ll always remain a Roadrunner.
— Wendy Frost
