Class of 2025: Shareef Awadallah

Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business, Supply Chain and Operations Management 

Shareef Awadallah will be the student speaker at the College of Business spring 2025 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at the James A. Rhodes Arena. He is graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business, Supply Chain and Operations Management, and an Arabic minor.

Q: Why did you want to go to UA?

A: To be honest, I never even toured UA. My dad, who earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from UA in 2004, drove me around campus and told me about how much it had changed since he graduated. I was impressed with what I saw, and the rest is history! I felt like UA was an incredible value, allowing me to pursue a highly regarded degree in an industry-forward institution … with a Chick-fil-A in its Student Union!

Q: What campus activities were you involved in?

A:  I served as president for UA Ambassadors and UA’s Supply Chain Student Association. I also proudly represented the College of Business on the College of Business’ Dean’s Team and Beta Gamma Sigma’s executive board. For fun, I was the marketing director of the AK-Rowdies and a business plan presenter for Zips Racing.

Q: What campus honors or awards have you received?

A: In addition to being on either the Dean’s or President’s lists all eight semesters, in my sophomore year I was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, which recognizes the top 10% of students in each graduating class. As a junior, I was awarded the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh Scholarship, which is awarded to eight top supply chain and logistics students nationwide. In my senior year, I was named the Top Supply Chain Student and Top International Business Student award recipient by each respective College of Business department. I am also honored to have received the Top 10 Senior Award from the Department of Student Life and Top 10 Senior Award from the Williams Honors College.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will be working at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as a procurement specialist at the Akron headquarters.

Q: What is your favorite memory of UA?

A:  My favorite memory of UA was watching both the April 2024 solar eclipse and October 2024 northern lights from campus. Being able to observe once-in-a-lifetime events with my friends is a memory I will cherish forever.

Q: What unique things should we know about you?

A:  I love pickleball, I have a cat named Muffin and I am Mitchell’s Ice Cream’s biggest fan. In case you were wondering, my favorite flavor is caramelized chocolate.