It was Spring, 2011. A sudden burst of clarity gave Beth Warehime an exciting topic for her senior capstone thesis. One problem. The new idea occurred to her well past deadline.

The Backstory

Beth: Dr. Harvey always encouraged curiosity. When I changed my mind about the topic of my senior thesis, he didn’t care I made it after the deadline. ‘Don’t even think about that,’ I remember him saying. ‘Show me what you’ve got.’ Ten years later, I remember Dr. Harvey’s encouragement to ‘just go for it’ like it was yesterday.
College age is such a transformative period in a person’s life. I came into Washington College, I was very shy, reserved, quiet. I lacked self-confidence. By trying different things, by becoming a better writer, a better communicator and understanding myself, I became a confident person. Today, I am Director of Branded Marketing and Insights at G&S Foods, a leading contract manufacturer of snack foods. One day I hope to own my own snack food business.

Dr. Harvey: I could tell Beth was very passionate about the topic - corporate merger and the effect of human interaction and business cultures. Why wouldn’t I let her do that? It was a fantastic idea. The best way to learn is to have a passion for the stuff you are studying. This is the liberal arts ideal. The world is full of complexity and the human animal loves to learn, so we try to harness that. We help young people learn in such a way that they can go out and build better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

As part of its 40th anniversary , the Business Management Dept. is proud to feature the stories of star alumni and the professors who inspired them. The year-long celebration will culminate in a Fall gala.