Bayside's Helen Barzyk Earns Orr Fellowship

BAYSIDE, WI — Helen Barzyk, a senior at University of Notre Dame from Bayside, Wis., recently received an Orr Fellowship, a 17-year-old program for the area’s top college graduates.

The Orr Fellowship recently placed a record 70 college graduates in two-year, full-time positions with 47 companies across central Indiana. Orr Fellowship candidates are mostly from Midwest colleges and universities. Candidates are recruited and evaluated on academic excellence, extracurricular involvement and leadership qualities. The program is incredibly selective, as more than 1,100 top students applied in the most recent academic year.

Kelley M. H. Young Assistant Teaching Professor at Notre Dame professor said, "Helen is a dynamic, driven, intelligent person. Her decision to pursue placement in a rotational program that allows for her to gain experience in a professional environment is one rooted in a desire to learn more about her chosen career path in order to make an informed decision about her future vocation. I am excited to see what the future holds for Helen, as I am sure it will be a bright one."

The Orr Fellowship is considered a highly-sought-after designation, which has an acceptance rate of 6 percent. After a lengthy process, she was able to earn a full-time, two-year position with Zotec Partners, one of the top companies in Indianapolis.

In a unique matching process, Orr Fellowship facilitates an in-depth interviews that connect local decision makers to top young professionals. After a months-long series of interviews and recruitment activities during the first half of the academic year, 94 Orr Fellowship hopefuls met with more than 100 local CEOs and business leaders to compete for a full-time job offer.

“It’s difficult to overstate the impact this dynamic organization has on the Indy business ecosystem,” said Karyn Smitson, Orr Fellowship Executive Director. “What began as a simple idea – attract talented new graduates to central Indiana’s workforce and grow them into business leaders and entrepreneurs over the course of two years – has evolved into a program infusing the community with hundreds of entrepreneurial, high-achieving and civic-minded Orr Fellows and alumni.”

After beginning with less than 10 in terms of annual class sizes and number of companies, Orr Fellowship in 2018 will support 112 Fellows working at 60 companies.

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