Catherine Hawley
Making a difference for others like her.
Supply Chain Management - Student
As a senior graduating in May, Catherine Hawley is already making an impact in her chosen field, supply chain management.
Growing up in an all-Vols family, Hawley always knew she would attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From hearing her mother talk about accounting at the dinner table, and her siblings and grandparents talking about their experiences at UT and in Glocker, she became interested in business at an early age. After taking the Strong Interest Inventory assessment in her First Years Studies 101 class, she was certain supply chain was a natural fit for her.
Hawley hasn’t just attended classes in the Haslam College of Business; she is making a difference for others like her. As the President of NeXxus, a new student organization at Haslam directed at promoting gender diversity in supply chain, she saw the opportunity to grow and diversify the field. “Women are underrepresented in supply chain,” Hawley says. “This is a way to make more women aware of the industry and to connect women in the field.” Hawley also is a member of the Student Leadership Council, an organization aimed at improving student engagement, career readiness and professionalism among Haslam students.
Hawley understands first-hand how others have influenced and impacted her education, which is why she is determined to pave the way for future business students. She has received many scholarships during her time at UT, including the Volunteer Scholarship, the Appalachian Logistics League Scholarship, and the Hassel and Hasseline Evans Scholarship, among others.
In the summer of 2016, Hawley took an internship with Eastman Chemical, which led to a full-time job offer. Her collateral in information management truly helped her with her professional development. “The courses were extremely rigorous,” she says. “But it paid off during my internship and job hunt. Employers were super impressed with the depth and breadth of knowledge I had of IT and various systems, technologies, programs, applications and coding languages.”
Outside of her field, Hawley can be found enjoying the outdoors, cooking and practicing her photography. She is looking forward to experiencing more of her field and enjoying UT as an alumna after she graduates.