Reid Parker, a senior accounting major with a collateral in finance at UT’s Haslam College of Business, keeps many irons in the fire. In addition to pursuing his degree, he is a Haslam Ambassador, a tutor for at-risk students and vice president of the UT Investment Group (UTIG) – all while carrying a 4.0 GPA in the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

Parker, who is from Nashville, is also an Eagle Scout, and the scouts’ ethos informs his life choices and his career at Haslam.

“I use the general skills and values instilled in me during my years in boy scouts in my everyday life: time management skills, dedication to community service, staying organized and being kind to others,” he says.

Regarding his extra curricular pursuits, Parker says he tries to participate only in activities he is passionate about. Take tutoring at-risk students, for example.

“Thrive Lonsdale, where I tutor at-risk students, is a place that has meant so much to me,” he says. “I enjoy giving back to people because I realize that so much has been given to me.”

Likewise, he is involved in UTIG because he enjoys learning about businesses and the stock market, and he is a Haslam Ambassador because he has “loved (his) experience at UT and wants to tell others about all of the things the Haslam College of Business offers.”

One of the things Haslam offered Parker was the chance to study in Italy, which he remembers fondly. He will also remember lessons he took away from the trip.

“I learned how businesses differ across country borders and how to better communicate with others from different backgrounds,” he says.

Haslam also gave him the chance to become a published author. In one honors course, Parker assisted Ramon DeGennaro, professor of banking and finance at Haslam, with research into the use of bias response teams at universities. Eventually, the research led to DeGennaro and Parker co-authoring a paper that will be a chapter in a book to be published later this year. Additionally, Parker will present their findings at the Association of Private Enterprise Education Conference in the Bahamas this April.

“I have learned a lot from this research work – persistence, problem solving and statistical analytics are just three of the skills that I have honed along the way,” Parker says. “I am actually extending our previous research right now, as a part of my undergraduate thesis project.”