Getting to know Shannon Farrell, 2018 Romain College Distinguished Graduate

Shannon Farrell, accounting and finance major, has been named the USI Romain College of Business 2018 Distinguished Graduate. As Distinguished Graduate, she will be the Reflection Speaker at this year's commencement ceremony on April 28.

Farrell, with USI president, Dr. Linda Bennett, at the 2018 Honors Day Convocation

An outstanding student and athlete, Shannon has an impressive list of accomplishments during her college career at USI. She has earned numerous scholarships and awards, including:

• Romain College of Business Distinguished Graduate Award
• Outstanding Senior Accounting Student 
• Academic Achievement Award in Finance
• Departmental Scholarship
• Distinguished Scholar Award
• Wanda B. Hibbitts Accounting Scholarship
• Robert D. and Mary Kay Orr Scholarship for Global Business Study
• Mosley Scholarship
• Inducted member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society
• Inducted member of Beta Alpha Psi
• Dean's List
• Scholar Athlete
• Academic All-GLVC
• Academic All-District
• Academic All-America
• Currently holds 3 USI records for volleyball (total career digs, digs in a single match, and average digs per set in a single season)
• Co-leader of the volleyball team for 2 years

We'd like to take a moment to find out more about Shannon and have her reflect on her college career and experience at USI.

Some of Shannon's favorite memories at USI are:

• Participating in the Alberta Not-for-profit Association Case Competition for the past two years. It was rewarding to apply what I have learned in the classroom to the real world. Getting to travel to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was also an unforgettable experience. 
• I have enjoyed listening to the endless amount of stories the professors tell from their professional experience.

What cheers you up when the demands of college seem overwhelming?

• My friends, family, and teammates.
• Watching my favorite teams compete (USI athletics, the Cubs, the Blackhawks).
• Thinking about how much I will benefit from the experience in the future.

Looking back over your college career, what has surprised you about college?

• How much the professors truly care about their students. Professor Tim Bryan has helped me so much over the years, and I am very lucky to have had someone like him to learn from.
• How much there is to get involved in - there is always something going on, whether it is an athletic event, a fundraiser, a club meeting, etc.

Farrell, with Mr. Tim Bryan, instructor in accounting, at the 2018 Honors Day Convocation

What advice would you give to an incoming freshman that you wish you’d have known?

• Make friends in your classes! 
• Talk to your professors. They are super nice and are willing to help in any way that they can.
• Get involved in any and every organization you are interested in and passionate about.
• Make your time count - four years go by faster than you think.

Shannon's plans and goals for the future:

• This summer and/or next summer I will be taking the CPA (Certified Public Accountant), and possibly the CMA (Certified Management Accountant), exams. 
• I will be pursuing my MSA (Master of Science in Accountancy) next year at the University of Notre Dame. It is a one year program, so once I graduate I plan on becoming an auditor at a large public accounting firm in Chicago.

Published April 4, 2018