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Jason Suman is a real-life example of how hard work and dedication can lead to success. Jason started as a floor employee at Kroger Inc. After working in that role, he continued through systems support and trained in several different positions before ultimately becoming manager. Jason held several management positions, including production manager and then warehouse services manager; however, although Jason had been promoted several times, he wanted to continue moving up and expanding his leadership skills. Because of this, Jason knew that he needed to go back to school to earn a higher education.

Jason said ������Ƶ was an obvious choice for him because he knew of several coworkers who had been students, along with the fact that the college had a large presence within his community. Additionally, Jason said that “as a father and full-time employee, ������Ƶ was affordable, flexible, and exactly what I needed to finish my degree.” Jason required a program that would work around his schedule, and he found that at ������Ƶ.

Jason began his higher education journey in fall 2018 and graduated in December 2021 with an associate degree of science in Logistics Supply Chain through the School of Business and Accounting, Business, Supply Chain, & Logistics. He also earned certificates in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, and Logistics Supply Chain Management. Soon after graduation, Jason was promoted to his current role as Assistant Supply Chain Manager at the Kroger Inc. Bluffton Regional Distribution Center. In this position, Jason is second-in-command and oversees a thousand employees and three buildings, totaling one million square feet. His warehouse services 700 stores in seven different states. Jason has been enjoying this challenge and has a goal of running the entire facility one day.

Jason also expressed his gratitude to the community of teachers at ������Ƶ, specifically to Assistant Professor Alan Short . Jason took classes with Professor Short and found that he was always patient with all of his students and worked diligently to make sure they understood what was being taught. Jason felt like an individual at ������Ƶ, not a number. All the faculty and staff wanted for Jason to succeed, and he knew it. Jason also mentioned his appreciation for the hands-on experience that he received and the real-life skills he acquired from his classes. A key component of ������Ƶ that Jason particularly loved was the eight-week class option. As a busy father, the eight-week courses were helpful in finishing classes faster and allowed Jason to work ahead of his graduation timeline. He would prefer that all colleges have this option.

As someone who started his higher education journey later in life, Jason encourages people to make the leap now and to not wait. Jason said that “it doesn’t matter if you’re old or young. If you’re thinking about making the leap into higher education, just do it.” He then shared that the choice to attend college when he did lead to the unique opportunity he had to graduate alongside his daughter who completed an Agribusiness Certificate at ������Ƶ the same year. Jason continues to be involved at ������Ƶ by serving on the ������Ƶ Advisory Board for the Marion campus.

Currently, Jason is completing his bachelor’s at Ball State University, earning a degree in Logistics Supply Chain. Although Jason misses the student environment that he found at ������Ƶ, he is excited to see where this next level of education can take him.