Lapel graduate earns fellowship at tech firm by following desire to help others

PENDLETON — Emily Cline headed to DePauw University four years ago uncertain of what she wanted to study.

Hard work, a desire to help others and following her heart helped her find the way to a career in business.

Cline, 21, of Pendleton is a 2014 Lapel High School graduate who recently was awarded the 2018 Gov. Robert D. Orr Entrepreneur Fellowship for academic and philanthropic success.

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She’s one of seven DePauw University seniors among 70 college graduates from Indiana who are being placed in two-year, full-time work positions throughout the state after they graduate this spring.

Cline was offered a job with Appirio, a tech company in Indianapolis, where she will be part of the worker experience team, dealing with diversity and inclusion as well as change, culture and engagement, a non-profit side of a for-profit business.

The field of study is one she never imagined herself pursuing four years ago, she said.

Cline simply followed her passion the past couple of years, learning and helping others, and it led her to the right career path.

“I don’t think your major defines what you might do or who you are,” Cline said. “It’s your work ethic and dedication that counts.”

While she has strong communications and writing skills associated with degrees in English writing and political science, it’s the soft skills, as she calls them — compassion, hard work and focus — that helped her find the right profession, Cline said.

Candidates for the fellowships are recruited on academic excellence, extracurricular involvement and leadership qualities, according to a press release.

Cline was one of more than 1,200 applicants for the fellowship, from which the top students went through in-depth interviews before the winners were selected.

The program was designed nearly two decades ago to bring unique opportunities to new graduates while allowing Indiana businesses to have a chance at hiring the best and brightest college graduates.

“It’s difficult to overstate the impact this dynamic organization has on the Indy business ecosystem,” Karyn Smitson, Orr Fellowship program director, said in the press release.

Cline said she’s excited for the opportunities the fellowship provides, including extensive networking, civic engagement, executive mentoring and professional development.

She finished her classroom studies in December and is doing an internship as a student engagement fellow with Timmy Global Health until graduation in May. The company is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that helps students and volunteers tackle global health challenges.

Cline is also a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and member of the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

She credits her success to small-town schooling, where she was one of only 100 students in her graduating class at Lapel High School. She credited English teacher Jerry Kemerly for helping foster her love for language arts.

While Cline thought for sure she’d be leaving the state upon college graduation, she changed her mind.

After doing some international travels during college and meeting students from larger cities such as Chicago and New York, she came to realize Indianapolis was the place for her to thrive professionally.

“Indianapolis is a tech hub and a business hub that is growing, and I have a great opportunity here,” she said.

Cline also likes the idea of being able to be close to Lapel and Pendleton, where she can see family and friends more regularly.

Shane Cline, her father, couldn’t be more proud. His eldest daughter has always been a hard worker and good student.

“She’s always been very driven,” he said. “She does things quietly and isn’t big on accolades, but has always been able to achieve big things academically.”

The family was thrilled to see Cline secure a good job, one she’s very interested in, fresh out of college.

In addition to being a standout in the classroom when she was younger at Lapel High School, Cline also played varsity softball for three years and performed in the school’s show choir.

Her younger sister, Sophie Cline, is a senior at Lapel High School.