Logan DeWeese, a 2014 graduate from St. Joseph-Ogden High School, was recently promoted to Inventory Specialist for College of Engineering at the University of Illinois.
His new duties includes completing property accounting and business-related tasks for the college, inventory processing for required reporting, maintaining updates as well as revising inventory and equipment records.
Concurrently, DeWeese is also work on his MBA through an executive program through SIU-E. His area of concentration is business analytics and he will finish the program this August.
"I felt this masters degree would give me a wide range of business career opportunities in the business environment," he said. "Also data analytics are a growing industry that I have a strong interest in."
His program has a 15 credit hour limit per semester and is designed to accommodate working professionals. There is no mandatory meeting times.
Due to the U of I campus closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deweese said he was only on campus with his new job for about two months before the shutdown.
"I have been working home for about two months now," he explained. "Certainly one challenge is getting to know all the staff, and the other would be remembering where all the buildings are."
After leaving SJO when he graduated, DeWeese attended Parkland College for two years. Earning an Associates degree in General Studies, he transferred to Eastern Illinois University to continues his studies picking up a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems.
For student who want to go to college but may not have the resources to for a four-year institution, he says they should consider starting with at two-year program.
"Attending a community college like Parkland or others community colleges in the area, allows you to save money and isn't costly to change your major as it would be at a four year university or private school," he explained. "I highly advise that high school graduates who don't have a scholarship, financial aid assistance, or grants not go straight into a four-year university depending on your financial circumstances."
He said his involvement in high school sports has paid dividends.
"Playing football in high school really installed in me how to operate and function in a team mentality which can be very crucial in a workplace environment. Making sacrifices and adjustments are all part of the process," DeWeese said. It has helped him "to make sound decisions in any situation."
Prior to his acceptance into the MBA program and taking a position at the University, DeWeese was an Inventory Controller and Delivery Coordinator at Menards in Champaign nearly six years.
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