The University of Toledo is celebrating transfer students as part of National Transfer Student Week.
Blake Villarreal found a fascination with operations and supply chain management when he began working for Amazon.
After earning his associate’s degree in business administration from Owens Community College, Blake Villarreal became a Rocket and is now a senior studying operations and supply chain management.
“The scale of the business and the rapidly changing environment, along with constantly looking for ways of process improvement, is something that I have found exciting,” Villarreal said. “One of my favorite things about Amazon is that we look to balance hiring externally and promoting within, and with that, train people to move up and expand their roles. It is getting to teach in a whole different way and I love it.”
After earning his associate’s degree in business administration from Owens Community College, Villarreal decided to continue his business education at UToledo by pursuing operations and supply chain management in the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation.
“I knew I wanted a mixture of online and in-person classes, so it was between UToledo and another school,” he said. “After talking with friends who attended both and viewing the schools, I determined that UToledo had more of the culture I was looking for in the school, and it didn’t hurt that I live in the area.”
Now a senior scheduled to graduate in May, Villarreal is both a team lead and process assistant at Amazon and a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, which he balances with being a full-time student.
“My greatest challenge comes from being a student and working, both full-time,” Villarreal said. “Especially figuring out when assessments are due in relation to the hours I work weekly, making sure to check Blackboard and my student email daily, is a must. Time management for myself and other students like me is the biggest key to success.”
Despite his hectic schedule, Villarreal has still found time to relax and study.
“I have a study room I always go to in the Savage Business Complex. It’s always open, so I sit, listen to music, make calls to people and relax while I do homework,” he said. “It gives me a moment in life where I’m going nowhere and I don’t have to do anything compared to the rest of my life. I just enjoy it.”
James Strebler, a senior lecturer in the Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, said Villarreal stood out in his major.
“Blake is an exceptional student and person,” Strebler said. “In class, he had the most important ingredients for a future Information Systems professional. He was both curious and diligent. This natural tendency to seek out new and creative solutions to problems sets him apart.
After graduation, Villarreal said he plans on continuing his career at Amazon, then taking a well-deserved vacation.
His advice to other business majors is to consider every class to be critically important.
“I would tell anyone in attending the College of Business, every business class you take is important,” he said. “What I mean by this is the synergy of all the classes and how they connect. They build on one another. Don’t underestimate that.”
For more information about UToledo’s campus events for National Transfer Student Week, read the UToledo News story.