Lang chose Purdue because of its top-notch aviation program, and he continued to be impressed because of its challenging curriculum and supportive faculty. He fondly remembers operating United Airlines DC-8 and American Airlines 727 simulators, which prepared him for the life of a pilot. Lang is especially appreciative of the support of Professor Charles Holleman, who he says always believed in him.
Alex Coleman
Purdue’s College of Technology degree afforded Coleman the opportunity to learn how to apply all of the elements of critical thinking (math, science and business) into solving business and technology problems for Verizon and its customers. This ability has allowed Coleman to compete effectively for managerial and executive level positions throughout his 26-year career.
Cory Shively
Cory attributes his success to lessons learned while growing up — from his father,“it’s not worth doing, if you aren’t going to do it right,” and from his mother,“include human kindness in every- thing you do in life.” He also includes his partners’ contributions and his wife’s support in the quotient of success.
Donzel Leggett
“Success is a relative term. I refer to it as progress. The top four reasons for my progress are an extremely supportive family, some fantastic mentors/advocates, aspirations to be the best and most balanced in all phases of my life, and being a values- and principles-based leader,” Donzel says.
Joanne Adams Griffith
Her father’s entrepreneurial spirit along with her own interest in business and human behavior led JoAnne to a career in the field of human resources. She chose Purdue based on the University’s reputation and the School’s supervision program, which seemed to offer her the best mix of business and behavioral sciences classes based on her interests.
Charles Crosby
Charles' desire for flight began while working long hours in the fields of his family’s Indiana farm and watching the planes overhead.“Growing up on a farm, I learned early on the value of hard work and dedication,” he said. “I also knew there had to be another way to make a living.” His desire for flight intensified in eighth-grade when a relative who owned a small plane took him on his first flight. “I must say that's all it took. That day, I made my career choice, and despite many obstacles, I did not waver.”
Christopher Baker
Christopher's entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own company immediately following graduation from Purdue in May 1989. His company, MailCode Inc.,provides mail-processing solutions through mail sorting equipment, software applications — including local, remote, and voice encoding — and multi-line optical character recognition (MLOCR) technology.
In 1989, Christopher also initiated Differential Weighing Inc. as a spin-off company from patent technology developed at MailCode. This patented technology is licensed to all global major scale manufacturers.
Jaime Arnett
Jaime's ingenuity resulted in more than 48 U.S. Patents and an additional seven Patents Pending during his 19-year tenure at Bell Industries. The CEO of AT&T recognized his quest for discovery in 1994 with an AT&T Patent Award for “Significant Importance to AT&T's Commercial Success.”
Doug Wheeler
"I believe in maintaining a strong work ethic, listening for opportunities, leading by example, commitment to people, and the relentless pursuit of goals."
Rue Patel
Rue Patel is a happy man. His life and the people around him are sources of appreciation for this former industrial technology major. He has accomplished much, and believes in giving back to his community.
One aspect of pride is the Purdue connection. He and his wife, Laurie (BA, EA, BA FA '90), are both grads. His father, now retired and living in Middlesboro, Kentucky, has a Ph.D. from the School of Pharmacy. Laurie's mother is an X-ray technician at the Purdue Student Hospital.