Rider student wins $10,000 John Galt Solutions’ Scholarship

By Tatyanna Carman

Senior global supply chain management major Nunana Honutse received a 10,000 scholarship for Future Supply Chain Leaders from John Galt Solutions, a renowned supply chain software company, on Dec. 18.

Honutse is the second Rider student to receive the scholarship. Senior global supply chain management major Lillian DeMarco won the scholarship in 2019.

Honutse said that she was not interested in applying for the scholarship at first because she thought she was not qualified and feared rejection.

“I actually missed the deadline to apply, but he sent out another email that the scholarship deadline has been extended so I started looking more into it and began writing my essay,” she said.

Honutse said that DeMarco encouraged her to apply since she was still having doubts about applying.

“I had received lots of rejection letters this year from jobs that I had applied to, so I was afraid of having to receive another one. But the push from my friend and the constant emails from Professor Miller persuaded me to apply,” Honutse explained.

She submitted an essay and her transcript as a part of the application process. In the essay, Honutse had to describe her achievements, plans for the future, financial hardships that she may have faced and any other information that might be relevant.

“My volunteer work and achievements in education contributed highly to awarding me this scholarship,” she said. “My essay outlined my ambition to pursue a supply chain degree and the reason why I chose a minor. Also, though working two jobs, I have continued to volunteer and serve a leadership role on campus. I think my ambition and hard-working spirit contributed to earning this.”

She said that when she received the call that she had won the scholarship, she could not believe it.

“First of all, I was not expecting to win because I know lots of people applied so I did not think I was qualified enough to be the recipient,” she said. “I cried so much that day and told my sister who also cried with me. There was so much joy and excitement.”

Honutse said that this scholarship was a “lifesaver” and will help to cover her tuition and pay off loans as she finishes up her last semester at Rider University.

Professor of Information Systems in the Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management Lauren Eder said that the scholarship is a “terrific opportunity for our global supply chain management students.”

“It is a prestigious award that provides recognition for motivated, diligent students in the field of supply chain management. and the financial benefit also offsets students’ higher education costs,” she said.

Eder also added that Honutse’s scholarship award demonstrates “the high quality of our students as well as the strength of our Global Supply Chain Management program.”

“I have enjoyed teaching our global supply chain management majors in GSC385, Information Systems for Supply Chain Management since the inception of the program. As a group they are consistently enthusiastic, hard-working and eager to learn about the field of supply chain management,” she said.

Dean of The Norm Brodsky College of Business Eugene Kutcher shared his thoughts on Honutse winning the scholarship.

“I understand that this is a nationwide competition that drew hundreds of worthy applicants,” he said. “The fact that our students have been successful says a lot about the quality of our program and the potential of our young professionals. Nunana is a perfect example: she is motivated, dedicated and passionate about the field of supply chain management.”

Honutse said that she plans to go back to school in the fall for her master’s degree and has accepted a full-time offer with Amazon as an area manager after graduation.

She said that she is looking into pursuing a master’s degree at Penn State or Rutgers University for their supply chain program and is also applying to Fairleigh Dickinson University for their MBA program with a concentration in management. She also explained one of her career goals is to give back to the Ghanian community with a focus on food insecurity.

“Food insecurity is especially rampant in Ghana, which is partly due to the low employment and wealth inequality,” she said. “With supply chain, I would be able to make significant improvements in my community by utilizing what I have learned and I would do this by building a food bank or community center. One of my goals is to also create a scholarship fund like this to support students like myself.”

She also gave some advice for people that are hesitant to apply for a job or scholarship like her.

“My advice to everyone is to apply for that job or that scholarship that you are hesitating about. Take that extra mile and see where it takes you. Do not be afraid to fail because it only makes you better and stronger,” said Honutse.