Tradition of Excellence

Sarah Shoemake moved around constantly growing up, so it's difficult for her to name a hometown—unless you count Indiana University.

“IU is a family tradition and holds a special place in our hearts,” says Shoemake, whose grandfather graduated in '50, paving the way for four more family members, including Sarah. “Grandpa needed his ‘fifth’ so that he had a complete basketball team of Hoosiers,” she says. “I learned the fight song when I was learning to walk.”

The family tradition at IU also includes Kelley. “All five of us have attended the Kelley School of Business [grandpa graduated in '50, dad completed his undergraduate degree in '81 and an MBA in '84, aunt in '84 and sister in '03], and knowing how similar we are, it must be the right place.” Even though Shoemake briefly considered majoring in math or music, she finally decided on business, choosing a math minor and fulfilling her love of music by joining Ladies First, the IU women's a cappella group, where she's also the business manager.

Shoemake calls her IU experience “the best of all worlds.” She says, “I have the mentality of a business person. I enjoy being able to meet so many different people through networking and crave the diverse challenges that arise daily.” The challenging curriculum offered at Kelley was the perfect fit.

“I came across people who just expected me, as a Kelley student, to be above par,” Shoemake says. “After interning [at Huron Consulting] with individuals from various business schools across the country, I'm now convinced that Kelley grads stand out in the crowd! The required coursework and push for balancing academics with extracurricular activities has helped me achieve a great deal of success already.”

Shoemake's participation in Kelley's Consulting Workshop, which includes a case analysis course, a networking course, and a case interviewing course, has been a strong factor in her success. “The case analysis course was the most beneficial class I've taken at IU,” she says. “It has provided me with an opportunity to apply all of the knowledge from various classes with each case. We completed six cases sponsored by various firms in an eight-week period.”

And though she says those eight weeks were challenging, the skills she obtained were invaluable. “We were all pushed to our limits and are all much stronger because of it. During every internship interview I had last year, the interviewer looked at my resume, saw that I was in the Consulting Workshop, and instantly said they thought more highly of me due to the caliber of the workshop. We learn through real case situations and are taught how to apply knowledge to any scenario.”

Her internship experience at Huron solidified her interest in consulting. “I had the unique experience of being the only intern working directly with my client with only a project manager supervising my efforts. I pretty much ran the whole show. Although scary at first, it was exciting to be the front-runner.” Now Shoemake is excited to pursue the career full time. “I'm a strong believer in proving myself and knowing that I am the best I can be in whatever it is that I do,” she says. “I want to help continue to make a name for Kelley with my successes in the future.”

And although she's hoping to head toward the west coast after graduation, it's safe to say she'll always call Indiana University—and Kelley—“home.”

In Brief

What she likes most about Bloomington: “I love Bloomington in the fall and in the spring. Gorgeous weather puts me in a better mood and the town just looks so beautiful when the flowers are blooming or the leaves are changing colors.”

Favorite Bloomington restaurant: “Truffles, by far!”