The Orr Fellowship is a post-graduate professional opportunity in which selected graduates are placed with host companies in Indianapolis. Fellows work with their company for two years, participate in a curriculum meant to further develop their business education, according to the Orr Fellowship website.
Emily Rompola, a 2017 alumna, is one of many former Saint Mary’s students who entered the Fellowship after graduation. According to Rompola, she was selected out of 1,100 applicants to the Fellowship.
Rompola currently works as a Customer Success Manager at the technology startup Lumavate. She said her time at Saint Mary’s prepared her well for her career. She said her classes helped her learn critical thinking, problem solving and communicating with her peers, skills she said are vital for success.
Rompola received her degree in political science, but is excited to work in the technical industry.
“Diving into a technical role has been challenging, but also incredibly rewarding because everyday I am learning and discovering new things,” she said.
Alumna Lauren Jamieson is also an Orr Fellow, and she began her fellowship in 2016. She works as Chief of Staff at the technology firm ClearObject.
“I am working on projects, joining meetings and gaining experience I never thought possible a year and a half out of college,” Jamieson said of her career.
She said her classes at Saint Mary’s gave her critical thinking and problem solving skills, and she said her education set her up for success.
“Being involved in projects like the senior comp where you have to analyze a real business with a team is a real world experience you get in the classroom,” Jamieson said.
Rompola named Jamieson and Lauren Hlavin, who both also graduated from Saint Mary’s and became Orr Fellows, as her primary mentors.
“The transition to living and working in a new city has definitely been easier with help from Lauren Hlavin and Lauren Jamieson,” she said. “They have given me advice and guidance during my transition from college to the working world. Everything from best practices in an office environment to the coolest restaurants to visit on the weekends. In my experience, the sisterhood present at Saint Mary's has continued within the network of Saint Mary's alums involved in the Fellowship.”
Jamieson said the Orr Fellowship is shaped by current participants, which allows it to evolve over time. She said she has seen this evolution in her two years as a fellow, and she is thankful for the people she has met through the Orr community.
“There are so many fantastic parts of Orr Fellowship. It is truly hard to pick just one, but the community it offers is unlike anything else. Moving to a new city and having 85 friends to learn from and have fun with is such a blessing.”
