Five students from class of 2020 selected for the prestigious program

by Grace Carlo, staff writer

The Orr Fellowship is a two-year program that pairs recent college graduates with Orr companies in the Indianapolis area. Alongside the job, there are many professional networking opportunities as well as paid hands-on experience. The fellow’s top requirement is to do great work for their employer. They are committed to recruitment, participation and representation among the community. 

The program focuses on the person and professional development through workshops, skills, enhancement and speakers. Orr is mainly self-led, and the company prides itself on professional development. With a competitive program, the average acceptance rate is 6%. 

The mission statement of the Orr Fellowship program is developing and recruiting the next generation. 

Xavier’s seniors John Hoffman, Lauren King, Madison Parrelli, Bethany Young and Carolanne Zells have all been selected to take part in the Orr Journey. 

Madison Parelli, senior marketing and business analytics major, applied for the program with the pandemic in mind. “With COVID, it is harder to get a job, so I felt like it was a good option,” Parelli said. Many students like Parelli have also been experiencing difficulty finding opportunities for jobs with COVID-19. The fellowship guarantees paid professional experience for all fellows. 

Parelli thinks this will largely benefit her career, saying, “Orr itself does a lot of workshops with alumni and fellows that are successful which helps build you as a stronger leader and better for the workforce.”

Marketing major Lauren King talks about her initial exposure to the program, saying “As a freshman, I went to the career fair and loved the aspect of Orr. They take any major, and they want people who are leaders.” 

King kept Orr in the back of her mind while at Xavier. She commented, “My senior year, I was recommended to apply by numerous Xavier professors and lots of past friends who are in the fellowship.” 

King is ecstatic about being a part of the fellowship. She said, “Even though I’m not in the fellowship, I’ve already encouraged next year’s seniors to apply.” 

Both Parelli and King feel that Xavier did a proficient job in preparing them for the fellowship. 

Parelli, being a business analytics major said, “The business school prepares you well for interviews and building your resume. Outside of the business school, there’s many different internship opportunities. I had a lot on my resume which helped me in the process.” 

King said, “Xavier is so awesome in the sense that you can be involved in anything that you want to and really get that first-hand experience.” She also emphasized, “Orr is not just looking for your major. They’re looking for involvement.”

Students alike recommend that visiting the Career Development Office is vital for help with fine-tuning your resume and preparing for interview questions for the application process for this exclusive fellowship. 

For more information about Orr, you can reach out to Lexie Steward, the director of recruitment at Orr for Xavier Students.