Trine senior named Orr Fellow

INDIANAPOLIS — Carly Osinski, a senior marketing major at Trine University, is one of 50 students from more than 1,200 applicants who have been accepted to the prestigious Governor Bob Orr Entrepreneurial Fellowship.

Osinski, from Noblesville, will work during her fellowship at Allegion, a security solutions company located in Carmel. She will serve in the company’s marketing department, with responsibilities for product, e-commerce and sales.

“The Orr Fellowship offers many options for networking with other host companies and among other Orr Fellows. It provides opportunities for continued education and for certifications,” Osinski said. “The community and instant network I will have being an Orr Fellow is invaluable. These opportunities were unbeatable for me and I had known I wanted to go through this process since I was a freshman at Trine.”

Launched in 2001, the Orr Fellowship, named in honor of former Indiana Gov. Robert Orr, seeks to keep top college graduates in Indiana. Those accepted into the program complete a two-year fellowship at an Indianapolis host company, working full-time and participating in programs to develop entrepreneurship and business leadership.

Fellows receive competitive compensation and are given considerable responsibility in their roles. During the fellowship they receive professional career coaching and take part in events such as a monthly top executive speaker series. They also serve as volunteers or board members in nonprofits all over the city, and handle operations for the Orr Fellowship.

The fellowship recruits top seniors from universities in Indiana and Ohio but accepts students from any college. Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, demonstrated leadership potential and a strong interest in entrepreneurial business or organizational leadership.

Osinski said the application and interview process took about a month and a half. By the third round, when Osinski traveled to High Alpha in downtown Indianapolis for a one-on-one interview with an Orr Fellowship board member, the number of candidates had been cut to about 400. About half of those candidates made it to the Reception on the Circle at the Indianapolis Public Library, which also included about 50 current Fellows.

After the reception, applicants submitted an essay, personal statement, updated resume and personality assessment, and those who made it through this process advanced to Finalist Day, where they could interview with host companies.

“Finalist Day was very exciting, filled with meeting many new people and companies,” she said. “On Finalist Day I also received a lunch interview, making five interviews in one day for me; three hours of interviewing. After the long day, I drove back to Trine and received a very exciting call from the board member I interviewed with in round three, telling me I had received a job offer from one of the companies.”

Osinski said she is not sure of her long-term career goals, but looks forward to the opportunities she will have through the fellowship for employment with Allegion or other host companies.

“The long, time-consuming hiring process paid off and I could not be happier!” she said.