At the Romain College of Business, our alumni are making an impact in organizations and communities across the country. This edition of our alumni spotlight features Andrew Clevenger, a 2006 economics graduate born in Michigan but raised in Henderson, Kentucky. Clevenger is the Client Operations Manager at First Advantage.
Clevenger sat down for a Q&A about his career path, favorite memories from his time at USI and advice for current and future Screaming Eagles.
What brought you to USI? It’s a tale as old as time, there was a girl involved. I was originally hoping to attend the University of Louisville, I thought going to a school in a bigger city would open opportunities to meet people who could help me get a job after I graduated. When the time came to begin the process of going to school, I really felt like USI more or less offered the same experience I was looking for. My girlfriend at the time was a lifelong West Sider, so being nearby was a plus too. As much as I complained about having grown up in the Evansville area, I do quite like Evansville and going to school there was appealing to me.
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities or Study Abroad opportunities while in school? When I was at USI, we had the Ice Eagles hockey team that played at Swonder Ice Arena. While I wasn’t on the team, I was a regular attendee of the games. As far as extracurricular activities, Saturday nights at Swonder are probably my favorite memory. I loved the atmosphere at the games, and it felt like we had a particularly charged rivalry with Middle Tennessee State. Those games were hard hitting, and the crowd was particularly charged up when they were in town.
What made you choose economics as your major? I was originally going to do journalism, I’m actually an award-winning newspaper columnist! I wrote for the Henderson Community College’s The Hill newspaper and won multiple awards! I also wrote for The Shield [USI’s student newspaper] for a semester, but I felt like pursuing that career path might be too risky in an era when it seemed like newspapers were disappearing. I changed my major a few times and eventually landed in Tim Mahoney’s ECON 175 class. I thought the intersection of math and business was interesting. I met with Mahoney a couple of times and decided, based on his advice, to take on economics.
Did any professors make an impact on you while you were in school? The first major one was Tim Mahoney; he’s basically the reason I started in ECON in the first place. Peter Cashel-Cordo was someone who, as I spent more time in his classes, made sense. He cared a lot about his students and was always willing to talk through things I didn’t understand.
What has been the biggest joy and challenge after graduation? My biggest joy post-graduation was the birth of my kids. It doesn’t matter what I accomplish in my life, nothing will compare to the joy I experienced when I held each of them for the first time. I think my biggest challenge is avoiding stagnation. Every job I have had has been a steppingstone to my next one. I’m always trying to learn as much as I can to not just diversify my own skillset for where I am today, but where I want to go tomorrow. I’ve continued to chase opportunities I think will build up my own skills, and while it might be easier to settle into one role and just do that, that’s not who I want to be. It is a fun challenge to keep trying new things.
What advice would you give to current or prospective USI students? It sounds cliché to say this but just don’t give up and don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I was an undergrad, there were times when the course work seemed overwhelming or I just felt lost. It would have been easy to just quit or decide to try working things out on my own even when I was unsure. In those cases, all I was really doing was digging myself deeper into a hole and not always realizing it. USI is still a small enough community with enough resources that you can get help when you’re lost. Dr Cashel-Cordo was always willing to take time to talk me through something that didn’t make sense. Tim Mahoney was always willing to do the same, and it didn’t matter if it was about academics or not. Sometimes things can feel overwhelming, but things are rarely as bad as you imagine. Anyone I asked was always willing to help, USI is a great community. I’ve carried that same mindset with me in my professional life. As an Account Operations Manager, I have opportunities to help people who are stuck or seem discouraged. I try to lead with empathy, and a big part of that stems from my experience at USI.
Anything else you would like to include? At a recent alumni event here in Indianapolis, President (Steve) Bridges told me I could email him and he would let me sit in the suite for a USI basketball game. I have not forgotten about that, and I intend to take him up on that offer. I mention that here, so I remember, but also to highlight what an awesome community USI is.