Broad supply chain management student recognized with R. Gene Richter scholarship

Every year since 2004, the R. Gene Richter Scholarship Program awards a select number of prestigious scholarships to students across the country. The program recognizes remarkable accomplishments in supply chain management — and Spartans have long been among the awardees.

Peter Estefan, rising supply chain management senior

This year, rising senior Peter Estefan was selected by the R. Gene and Nancy D. Richter Foundation and the Institute for Supply Management as one of only six students to be awarded such an honor. With this scholarship, Estefan will be granted $10,000 toward his tuition for the 2023–24 academic year.

“Personally, it’s an achievement of hard work and dedication to my major and future career,” he said. “Being at Michigan State, I’ve been so lucky to be able to find supply chain and fall in love with it as a career path, so through the hard work and goal setting, being able to earn this award — just as many of my Spartan role models have in the past — is an honor and something I will cherish as I move forward from here.”

Estefan joins 27 past recipients from the Broad College who have earned this national recognition. Through the program, Estefan will receive not only tuition assistance but also a standing invitation to the annual ISM conference. Topping it off, he’ll be paired with an executive and junior mentor to help with career advice and networking.

“The scholarship itself is a great support toward funding my education, but as a student and leader, being able to tap into the Richter network can help me grow and transfer skills as a student to make greater impacts here at MSU while also keeping me on-path for my personal career goals out of college,” he said.

“Having an entire network of supply chain leaders who are there as support, role models and friends truly helps to grow myself professionally,” he continued. “Not only are connections and opportunities people I can go to for questions on jobs, industries, classes and growth, but they also help to open doors to roles, leaders and opportunities I might have not had without the Richter Scholarship. Being able to cultivate these relationships and opportunities better paves the way for me to see success in my academic and professional careers as a leader, student and professional.”

Estefan credited his aunt, a Broad supply chain graduate, for encouraging him to join the Supply Chain Management Association student organization during his first year at MSU, which helped him connect with peers and gain real-world insights about supply chain. He took her advice to heart and has become heavily involved, serving in several leadership roles: director of operations, vice president and now president for the upcoming year.

“Peter’s passion and energy in leading the SCMA and promoting the SCM program while maintaining excellent performance in his classes and projects made him a strong candidate to receive this award,” Chris Lussenhop, director of corporate and student relations in the college’s Department of Supply Chain Management and the faculty advisor for SCMA, said.

Estefan (second from right) and his fellow 2023 Richter Scholarship awardees

While studying at MSU, Estefan has taken on numerous jobs and internships, including office administration for the college’s Executive MBA program and interning for Rockwell Automation and SC Johnson. This summer, he’s working as a global operations intern with Nike in Oregon, which he says has been a goal of his from the beginning. Pairing this opportunity with the Richter Scholarship is what he considers a dream come true.

“Being in the MSU SCMA, I have been exposed to great leaders, students, friends and role models who have all either earned this award or supported me in my journey to getting it myself,” he said. “Being able to represent not only the university but the MSU SCMA with this award is special, and I hope to have an impact on others as they strive to earn this award as well.”

Lussenhop added a few words of encouragement to future supply chain management students considering applying for the Richter Scholarship: “My advice for future SCM majors that are interested in this scholarship is to work hard in coursework, not only for good grades but to really understand different aspects of supply chain management and how you will fit into an SCM role.”