At the Student Leadership Advisory Board (SLAB) Gala on Monday, April 22, senior College of Business student Joe Harrington was awarded the prestigious Jack North Student Leadership Award. This recognition is given to a student in the College of Business who has displayed academic excellence, involvement in the school, community, and in civic engagement.
Throughout his time at Illinois State University, Harrington has participated in multiple organizations and made an impact on the College of Business. Upon receiving the award, Harrington explained how grateful and honored he felt and that he was “happy to share the recognition with everyone who helped me get there.”
As a freshman from Roselle, Harrington knew he wanted to pursue an education in business. Harrington is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in financial accounting and finance. He has continuously proven his commitment to academic excellence on top of balancing his jobs and extracurricular activities.
Harrington has been an active member of Delta Sigma Pi (DSP) since his freshman year, obtaining multiple leadership positions throughout his academic career. First, he was vice president of finance, followed by becoming president, and concluded his leadership in DSP as the pledge education chair. He emphasized how important it was to him to ensure that underclassmen felt empowered to get involved and that they had a place to learn about professionalism, all while building his own professional skill set.
Also during his freshman year, Harrington became a tutor for Macroeconomics (ECO102) at the Julia N. Visor Center. During his time in this role, he tutored 80-100 students and explained that the opportunity allowed him to “meet people outside the College of Business and be able to help them.” This is where Harrington began a passion for helping guide others to success.
Aside from his leadership in DSP, Harrington was on the Business Week team during his junior and senior years. During his junior year, Harrington was the Professional Development Dinner coordinator which he followed by becoming vice president of Professional Development the following year. Helping others on the Business Week team and beyond unlock their full professional potential is something Harrington remains passionate about. Additionally, he said many of his accomplishments would not have been possible without the teams of people he’s been a part of.
From DSP to the Business Week team, Harrington said: “As a leader, you’re only as good as your group.” He enjoyed being a part of the Business Week team and explained that over time, it felt like a family. As vice president of Professional Development, he coordinated a team visit to the Packback office in Chicago, where team members got to go on an office tour and experience the city.
Additionally, throughout his senior year, Harrington was vice president of SLAB, a role where he was able to advance the relationships between the College of Business and the registered student organizations that stem from it. Harrington gave credit to everyone in SLAB who worked together to create a remarkable year.
Harrington explained just how large of a role mentoring has played during his time at Illinois State, specifically within the College of Business. He described how people at every step of his educational journey helped him get where he is, including faculty, professors, and peers alike.
“At some point, I hope to give back to others and help them in the way that I have been helped,” Harrington said. “I have loved my time in the College of Business.”
He described the College of Business as the perfect atmosphere to advance personally and professionally. Harrington will begin a career with Mesirow Financial as a financial analyst as he gears up to take either the CFA or CPA exam.
As the final note of his college experience, Harrington—who will be the student speaker during this spring’s College of Business commencement ceremony—leaves his time at Illinois State with one final thought: “I consider myself lucky to have spent such formative years of my life at Illinois State University and the College of Business and am grateful that the opportunities that shaped me will be available to those who come next.”
