Blake Nolan Bradley

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

“A complete nerd somehow living the life of a gregarious socialite.”

Fun fact about yourself: I lived and volunteered on a self-sustaining organic cherry farm in California during the 2020 quarantine.

Hometown: Bourbonnais, IL

High School: Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School (BBCHS)

Major: Supply Chain Management and Sustainable Business

Minor: Spanish

Favorite Business Course: M360 Sales for Social Impact in Belize

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

• Student Body President of the Kelley School of Business
• Recipient of the 2019 Kelley Leader of the Year Award
• Member of the Kelley School of Business Alumni Association Board of Directors
• Director of Student Life for Kelley Student Government
• Senior Consultant for 180 Degrees Consulting
• Indiana University Tour Guide
• Mentor in the Kelley Honors Program

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Process Improvement Intern at TOYOTA Material Handling, Columbus, IN. (Summer 2019)
• Operational Excellence Consulting Intern at West Monroe Partners, Chicago, IL (Summer 2020)

Where will you be working after graduation?  Supply Chain Analyst at SpaceX

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field?  Make your life a story. Embrace every failure, every dead-end, and every change of plans as these are each a crucial chapter in your unique story of growth. Being successful in business involves a high level of adaptation to uncertainty. The sooner you can appreciate the value of these hiccups in your own life, the happier your story will be.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? I was most surprised to see how the mindset of a businessperson is applicable in an infinite number of applications. Everything in the world is a business to some extent: politics, art, music, fashion, religion, athletics, and more. Opportunities are truly boundless for someone with a finely tuned business sense.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Serving as student body president of the Kelley School of Business has been the most fulfilling experience of my life and a source of great personal pride. As president and long-time member of Kelley Student Government, I am proud to have led various initiatives to improve student well-being and represent the voices of over 8,000 Kelley students. During my term, I prioritized various projects within the realms of diversity, equity, and inclusion, alumni engagement, student mental health, professional development, ethics & social responsibility, academic experience, and advocacy. I am extremely proud of the numerous successes our administration had during our term and the impressive strides we made in the pursuit of making the Kelley School of Business a premiere community of learners and future leaders.

Which classmate do you most admire? Throughout my college career, I have always felt a deep sense of admiration for my outstanding colleague, friend, and vice president, Rashi Sarraf. Throughout our four-year friendship, Rashi has been an integral part of my own growth and development as she has challenged me to always be the best version of myself in every situation. Rashi cares for people in a truly special way that is inspirational to everyone that has the pleasure of knowing her.

As a leader, Rashi pushes the people around her to always strive for excellence and will stop at nothing to ensure her responsibilities are completed to perfection. With the Coronavirus pandemic, Rashi moved back to India where she served as KSG Executive Vice President. Rashi’s inspirational leadership shined forth in this role. Rashi would stay up extremely late and wake up terribly early to attend meetings on eastern time and complete other key portions of her role, which she did with absolute grace and excellence without an ounce of complaint.

As a friend, Rashi loves so deeply and will sacrifice anything to see her friends be successful. She has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter over the last four years, helping me prepare for interviews, make big decisions, and letting me rant when I needed to do so. I would never be where I am today without having had Rashi in my life as a friend, a leader, and an inspiration. She is a shining example of the values of the Kelley School of Business and an amazing person that I am incredibly thankful to have in my life going forward.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I will forever owe a major debt of gratitude to my good friend and outstanding mentor, Trent McGee. As the staff advisor for Kelley Student Government, Trent and I started our relationship through formal, required meetings for the leaders of the student government, but quickly transformed our relationship into a rewarding friendship that has been key to my success in college. Trent will move mountains to help student leaders at Kelley in their development and I am lucky to be one of the students to benefit from a relationship with Trent. Our long hours spent discussing politics, higher education policy, student government, and — of course — IU athletics helped me explore and grow in my own beliefs to become the young man and leader that I am today. I have learned so much about how to be a better leader, citizen, friend, and person thanks to my relationship with Trent and I will always be incredibly appreciative for our time together.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Host Saturday Night Live
2. Become the President of the United States

What are your hobbies. In my free time, I enjoy binge watching TikToks, researching stocks, spending time with my dogs, and hanging out with friends.

What made Blake such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?  

“Blake Bradley embodies the Kelley School journey: from a gifted and ambitious first-year student, to a humble and educated senior leader who leads our student government. His leadership development has been forged through matching his raw skills with the tenacity to self-reflect on his actions, self-improve his perspective & behaviors, and empower those around him to become active leaders. If there is a destiny for time and place for a leader, Blake was the ideal student leader we could ask for during this time at the Kelley School of Business.”

Trent McGee
Director of Student Life

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