Rutgers junior chosen as one of nation's top supply chain management students

In an essay she wrote as part of her effort to be a 2019 Gene Richter Scholar, Rutgers Business School-Newark junior Anna Pisklarov explained why she chose to focus her studies on supply chain management.

Her introduction to the field was an academic requirement, she said, and her resulting fascination by the subject was a surprise. “I was honestly captivated,” she wrote.

“I like supply chain management because I have a passion for getting to the root of an issue,” she explained in the essay. “Supply chain is not about scratching the surface, putting on a Band-Aid and moving on. Improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary waste is the basis of what I have been doing all of my life.”

In April, based in part on her essay, the Institute for Supply Management selected Pisklarov for its annual award. The award recognizes the top supply chain management students in the nation and comes with a scholarship of $10,000. Judges at the ISM make their selections based on each student’s essay, cumulative grade point average, demonstrated leadership, extracurricular involvement and other achievements, including internships and case competitions.

Pisklarov, whose grade point average also led to her participation in Women BUILD (Business Undergraduates in Leadership Development), said in addition to scholarship money, the ISM award provides her with a new network of students and professionals, “people who love supply chain.”

Pisklarov went to the annual ISM conference in Houston to receive her award. “I was surrounded by such incredible people. Everyone was so welcoming. It’s like a family. I just kept thinking, it’s so unbelievable that I won this.”

As a sophomore, Pisklarov was the youngest student to represent Rutgers Business School in a supply chain-related case competition. “I had very little experience to draw on,” she said. “It was my first case competition. I remember the team spent nights in Conklin Hall until 3 or 4 a.m. preparing.”

Pisklarov said she was able to help the team with some of her finance knowledge since the case required some financial analysis. Her team won second place in the competition.

“It was my biggest learning experience,” she said. “I learned true team work and collaboration.”