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Meet JSOM Student Zachary Tidwell
Zachary Tidwell is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management at the Naveen Jindal School of Management and his expected graduation date is May 2024.
He serves as the president of the ASCM UT Dallas Student Forum, the student chapter of the Association for Supply Chain Management’s North Texas Chapter and is a recipient of the Deluke Family Scholarship.
Choosing UT Dallas
Zachary transferred to The University of Texas at Dallas from Tarrant County Community College. He loved how close UT Dallas was to his home and how well ranked UT Dallas was in comparison to other similar schools in the area.
Another reason he gravitated toward UT Dallas was because of what he calls the “nerdier” campus culture. UT Dallas seemed to have an atmosphere that better supported his academic pursuits.
“I don’t really like going out and partying and stuff like that,” he said. “I like being a nerd and studying.”
Life on Campus at JSOM
Zachary typically starts his day by waking up around 7 or 7:30 a.m. He walks to campus, gets in some study time, and responds to emails. He takes a full load of classes, four on campus at JSOM and two at community college.
Zachary joined the ASCM UT Dallas Student Forum after taking a project management course that he enjoyed. He saw his efforts in ASCM as an opportunity to make friends and practice his leadership skills. Last semester, his ASCM team put together five projects which included a kickoff event for a tech conference, a case competition and a women-in-leadership event. After a stellar performance on those intense events, Zachary stepped into the role of president of ASCM.
In addition to his work with ASCM, he enjoys going to meetings for the sustainability initiatives on campus and has a plot in the community garden.
Faculty Help Along the Way
Zachary says that he has benefited from the expert mentorship of many outstanding faculty and staff at JSOM. He is especially thankful for assistance and help from former program manager for supply chain management, Cynthia Lara, as well as friendship and counsel from Dr. Monica Brussolo, PhD’11, the director of the undergraduate supply chain management program. Dr. Ramesh Subramoniam, a clinical associate professor in the Jindal School’s Operations Management Area has also provided him with leadership and guidance as the faculty advisor for ASCM at UT Dallas.
Zachary credits John Fierst, the graduate director of the MS in Supply Chain Management program, as his go-to JSOM staff member for help with crafting his résumé.
Overcoming Obstacles and Finding Success
With a full load of classes and his extra-curricular activities, Zachary says that learning how to navigate time management has been his most formidable academic hurdle.
“I have a lot of different responsibilities,” he said. “A lot of different people want me to do stuff for them. I’m also trying to get an internship on top of taking all these classes. It’s difficult.”
Through his opportunities to work with ASCM and receiving counsel from his mentors, Zachary is most proud of his chance to develop the mindset of a servant leader.
“There’s different styles of leading people, and I see certain leadership styles are more beneficial because there is no negative mindset behind it,” he said. “I really want the people around me to succeed and if they succeed more than me then that’s great! That means I’m performing to the best of my abilities. And I have a lot of joy from that.”
Looking to the Future
Zachary hopes to make a positive impact in the workforce when he graduates. His main passion is sustainability and how he can help a company implement practices that would decrease their long-term ecological impact.
“I want to help make a company more environmentally friendly, not just greenwash.” he said.
Zachary is most interested in the agricultural and automotive industries.
Wisdom for Fellow Students
Zachary says that he has social anxiety, so he knows how challenging it can be to make friends. He advises students entering UT Dallas to get involved in student organizations and go beyond their comfort zones.
“I take the initiative to actually talk and say hi to someone. I force myself to get into situations where I’m uncomfortable talking to people.” Zachary says.
Zachary believes getting familiar with going beyond his comfort zone has helped him make social connections and advanced his professional and academic confidence.
“For example, on campus, I wrote a project charter for a business communications course, in terms of a lab that I thought needed improvement,” he said. “I wrote that and sent it to the director and that kind of improved my ability to feel OK with getting out of my comfort zone.”
Zachary encourages other students to try branching out and feeling familiar with doing something new.
“It’ll really help you in the long run.” he said.
