Seniors Ellie Howe, Aidan Lee and Chloe Perkins spoke to the Collegian about all things Orr. Photos courtesy of those pictured.
JASPER PILARZ | NEWS CO-EDITOR | lpilarz@butler.edu
The Orr Fellowship is a post-graduate program in Indiana that seeks to connect young people and guide them into their first full-time careers. Of the 84 recipients across Indianapolis and Evansville, seven Butler students were awarded the Orr Fellowship. Last week, four of Butler’s 2025 fellows were interviewed by The Butler Collegian. This week, Collegian News co-editor Jasper Pilarz spoke with the remaining three of the future fellows.
Ellie Howe is a senior double majoring in marketing and entrepreneurship & innovation. Photo courtesy of Ellie Howe.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: How did you first hear about the Orr fellowship, and what was your application journey like?
ELLIE HOWE: I’m in Tri Delta, and a lot of the girls that I knew through there went through the Orr Fellowship, and I knew a little bit [about] it. One of my friends reached out and said, “Hey, you should apply.” Applications started at the end of August, so I thought “Okay, why not? I want to submit my resume and my information and see what happens to me.” Orr liked my resume, so they said, “Okay, we want to have you be interviewed by one of the Orr Fellowship board members.” If they liked you, then they invited you to a networking event at Indiana State Museum.
The final day was the Friday before Thanksgiving break, and it was eight hours of interviews between 3 to 5 companies for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. We went through and I interviewed with four companies. In the end, it’s like [Greek life] recruitment here; you ranked the companies [by employment preference]; then you match, and [the companies] do the same thing with candidates. That night they make calls, so I knew I was hired going into Thanksgiving break, which was very nice.
TBC: What company were you partnered with? What will you be doing?
EH: I’m working for Revely. It’s a marketing consulting firm. When I join on June 2, there’ll be seven of us, so it’s not very big. Orr is really focused on the entrepreneurial aspect, so there was an interview with two people. It’s smaller, but I like that. I like entrepreneurship and that I’ll be able to grow and understand.
Revely started a year and a half ago, and we’re a certified Salesforce partner. I’m the manager of marketing and channel partnerships, [so my job is] a lot of marketing initiatives across content, social media, advertising, supporting our existing channel partnerships and engaging with clients, CMOs and CROs. It’s a lot of talking, which I love to do. It’s a really wonderful, wonderful company. Ira Maher, who is the founder, along with his [CSO, Taylor Imus-Williams], interviewed me. It was really great; I loved the interview, and the company’s great. I’ve met the team, and they’re phenomenal.
TBC: What does receiving this fellowship and now being an Orr fellow mean to you?
EH: It means a lot. I’ve had internships and different things, but it’s really hard, because the job market is terrifying, because jobs are awful right now. The Orr fellowship itself is such an amazing organization with so many different networking events. It’s really cool; there’s a good amount of us fellow students, so that’ll be fun. I’m excited, because [the fellowship is] a great step from college to the world. I’m really excited about my company. They’re going to be amazing. Then, [in the fellowship], I have that community to say, “Hey, we’re all going to go to this event, or we’re going to do this to network.”
TBC: What plans do you have for your time as an Orr fellow and beyond? How is this setting you up for what comes next?
EH: Some of my work has been marketing analytics, so I’m really excited to get out and talk to people and also be in the Salesforce space. My dad works at Salesforce, and that’s been fun, too. On June 10, we’re going to Connections in Chicago, which is a Salesforce event. That’s really special, because I get to see my dad working, and he’ll see me working. [I look forward to] the lessons that I’m going to be able to learn.
This is a great company because I can already tell they’re going to say, “Okay, we’re going to throw you into things that you may not be comfortable with. You’re going to have to learn how to deal with them.” A lot of companies are great, but the thing about a small company is that you’re going to be hands-on doing everything. You’ll be able to get that experience. I would love to have a marketing consulting firm of my own at some point, so that learning aspect will be really cool. I’ll be able to have conversations with the leadership of the company; we’re all sitting down in the room together.
TBC: Are there any last words you have for anyone who is considering the Orr fellowship, or who’s looking at different opportunities for jobs?
EH: I would say, do it. That’s why Orr does a fellowship. The nice thing is that you get to know early. The people that I’ve met already — even Orr fellows that are in the program, whether it’s in their first year or they’re finishing up their second year — all the people that I have met are so special. Do it. Why not? A lot of people love it. It’s two years of experience that you can get in the workforce and then go from there.
Aidan Lee is a senior double majoring in finance and business technology analytics. Photo courtesy of Aidan Lee.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: How did you first hear about the Orr fellowship? What was your application process like? Where have you been matched?
AIDAN LEE: My first internship was this past summer with the Heritage Group. They’re a pretty big partner company with the Orr fellowship, so I met a couple of fellows through them. I kept asking questions about it and learned more as my 12 weeks went on with the Heritage Group. It became clear that it was a really good opportunity, so [when] applications opened on Aug. 1, I applied shortly after. It’s a pretty long process, but I had some friends going through it, so we were able to bounce ideas off each other and do mock interviews.
I got matched up with HC1 Healthcare company in Indianapolis on Finals Day. They were my first interview of the day, so it’s nice [that I had] a good one to start off with. I’m going to be doing a finance role there. It’s a rotational [position], so I’ll be doing three different finance roles within the company.
TBC: What does receiving this fellowship and now being an Orr fellow mean to you?
AL: It means a lot. I’m really happy to be able to stay in Indianapolis because it’s a great city. A lot of the Orr fellows above me and in the new class with me are very driven people. I’m excited to be surrounded by other people who have high aspirations and set really, really high standards for themselves. I’m happy to be a part of that.
TBC: What plans do you have for your time with your company as an Orr fellow? How is this setting you up for what comes next?
AL: I actually was talking to the CFO — one of the guys that I would be working under — and he asked me a question, “What’s the end goal, to become a CFO of a company?” I told him, “I’m not really sure, because I don’t really know what a CFO does yet.” My plan for this [fellowship] is to learn as much as possible about future career paths in finance because right now I know I want to be in that industry. Outside of immediate career goals after that, I’m not positive, so I’m excited to learn a lot.
TBC: Do you have any advice for someone who might be considering the Orr fellowship?
AL: I would say doing your research is really big if you want to become an Orr fellow. I had five interviews on Finals Day, and that’s the last step in it. [It’s important that you are] coming prepared and knowing people, who to talk to, and asking the right questions and using the people around you. A lot of people on Butler’s campus know what the Orr fellowship is, so pretty much everywhere you look, there is going to be a resource to help you out and give you tips on interviews or fellowship process, anything like that, so use the people around you.
Chloe Perkins is a senior majoring in marketing. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: How did you first hear about the Orr fellowship? What did your application process look like? Where were you placed?
CHLOE PERKINS: Throughout my four years at Butler, I heard about people getting the Orr fellowship. I didn’t really know what it was, but it caught my eye after hearing a lot about it and the process that [other applicants] were going through. When I got to senior year and I was thinking about full-time jobs, I looked into it a little bit more, still keeping it on the back burner. I applied, and I got through the first phase, and then the other phases, and then there was a reception. That’s where you have to commit to [the fellowship], if you get the position or not. A lot of speakers came that were really inspiring and really cool to listen to. That [event] locked me in and made me certain that this is what I wanted to do. You have to reapply after going to that reception, so I reapplied, and I got the company I wanted. That was super exciting. It’s called OneCause; it’s an IT company in Carmel.
TBC: What does receiving this fellowship mean to you?
CP: It means a lot. As I said before, I don’t have the traditional pathway of a business student, so it’s always been a little bit more of a struggle for me to feel super confident in my skills and my place in the business school. This solidified that I do have the skills; I do have the abilities to do something within the business world.
TBC: What plans do you have for your time as an Orr fellow? Do you think this is going to lead you into something after because it’s a two-year program?
CP: I’m really excited about the community aspect. I think that’s the thing I’m most scared of. With graduation coming up, I’m leaving this community of people who are all going through the same things as me. I think the Orr fellowship, while it’ll be a little bit less of a confined community, will still have that community to fall back on, and we’ll be able to have an easier transition [out of college]. In terms of where I want it to take me, I’m hoping for either a full-time offer — if I like the position there — or just a good opportunity to really boost me into the business world.
TBC: Do you have any advice for someone considering applying for the Orr fellowship?
CP: I would definitely say, in terms of applying for the Orr fellowship specifically, to just go for it. The first step of the application is to submit your resume, so it’s super easy. I didn’t really know if I wanted to do it during that first step, but then as I went through it, I talked to people from Butler who had gotten the Orr in previous years, and they really helped me figure out if it was something I wanted to do. I definitely would say in those beginning stages, to just go for it.
