Sam Wadlington
Purdue University, Daniels School of Business
“A goal-oriented, optimistic, and faith-driven builder, forging his own path with curiosity, integrity, and conviction.”
Fun fact about yourself: I made a 25-yard field goal in a kangaroo onesie at halftime of a Purdue football game for a scholarship.
Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas
High School: Fort Bend Christian Academy
Major: Integrated Business and Engineering
Minor: Accounting
Favorite Business Course: MGMT 41150: Futures and Options
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Boilermaker Consulting, President and Managing Director
Larsen Leaders Academy, Vice President of External Events
Purdue Investment Banking Academy, Senior Advisor
Purdue Student Life Student Advisory Board, Board Member
Purdue Engineering Presidents Council, Board Member
Daniels School of Business Presidents Council, Board Member
Economic and Business Insights for Tomorrow, Roundtable Leader
EPICS- Engineers Without Borders, Grants and Development Team Member
The Future of Universities Research Team, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Scholarship Chair, Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Lifeguides Intern
Management 100 Teaching Assistant and Student Lector
Honors and Awards
Charlene Sullivan Undergraduate Transformation Award
Daniels School of Business Outstanding Sophomore
Purdue University Presidential Scholarship Recipient
2022 Allstate “Good Hands” Field Goal Challenge Winner
1st Place – Krannert vs. Kelley Case Competition
1st Place – ECON 251 Caterpillar Case Competition
Dean’s List (all semesters)
Semester Honors (all semesters)
Two-time Intramural Sport Champion (Ultimate Frisbee, Softball)
Where have you interned during your college career?
Rolls-Royce, Civil Aerospace Procurement Intern, Indianapolis, IN
Rolls-Royce, Program Management Intern, Indianapolis, IN
US Department of Energy- Loan Programs Office, Investments Intern, Washington, D.C.
Goldman Sachs, Investment Banking Summer Analyst, Houston, TX
Where will you be working after graduation? BDT & MSD Partners, Analyst
Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Alex Boquist has had an incredible impact on my time at the Daniels School of Business. When I first met Professor Boquist, I was a passionate freshman interested in investing, but unsure if high finance was for me. After many conversations in his office, I decided to pursue investment banking and couldn’t be more grateful for his advice and support as an ex-Goldman banker in his own right. Last semester, I was in Professor Boquist’s Futures and Options class and appreciated his ability to explain complex topics through simple stories— I’ll never forget his story about the Hunt Brothers breaking the silver market. I look forward to our continued conversations about investing and infamous options trades.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Invest significant amounts of time outside the classroom getting to know the peers and alumni of your business school. Your peers will become some of your best friends, biggest supporters, toughest competitors, and the business leaders of tomorrow: you won’t regret any extra time you spend with them. Also, be sure to develop relationships with a wide variety of alumni and carefully choose a few to be mentors. These relationships will propel you to heights you might never expect both personally and professionally.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I had the opportunity to change anything about my college experience, I would have studied abroad. The chance to immerse yourself in a different culture and explore a new part of the world alongside business classmates is rare, and one I wish I had taken advantage of. College has shown me that the greatest personal and professional growth occurs when we step into unfamiliar and challenging situations that push our boundaries.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? One way the Daniels School of Business integrated AI into my coursework was through a seminar I recently took on ethics. The seminar debated the ethics of various business stories throughout history and eventually centered on the role AI should play in businesses today. We grappled with big questions, such as what good outcomes from the AI revolution would look like and how ethics can work in conjunction with AI development.
One AI-driven insight I’ve appreciated is a daily market update. Many days, I’m too busy to follow the market closely, so I’ve found it convenient to ask AI about the performance of major indices, stocks that reported earnings, and other major movers. At worst, it’s a quick way to stay informed; at best, I learn something new that prompts me to dive deeper into an area of the market I don’t fully understand.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? During the fall of my sophomore year, my friends and I won the Krannert vs. Kelley Case Competition. The annual case competition brings together the best undergraduate business students from Purdue and Indiana University to solve a pressing business challenge. It had been several years since Purdue had won the case competition, so it was an especially rewarding experience to compete alongside my friends while representing Purdue. I can confidently say that this was the best team I’ve ever been a part of, as my friends illustrated how powerful it can be when each person’s unique strengths are harnessed. Winning Krannert vs. Kelley also emboldened me to take on new challenges in other unfamiliar and highly competitive arenas in pursuit of my aspirations.
Which classmate do you most admire? During the winter of my freshman year, I met two of the best friends I could’ve ever asked for, Jon Putman and Austin Watson. Their grit and determination to push the ceiling on what is possible elevates everyone around them and continues to amaze me.
Jon has demonstrated capacity to excel in a variety of different fields, developing a highly differentiated skill set. His deep understanding of finance, law, marketing, and branding will make him an incredible M&A lawyer at any firm lucky enough to have him. As President of the Larsen Leaders Academy, a leadership academy for high-achieving business students, he has fostered transformative workshops, experiential learning, and corporate experiences for countless future business leaders. Engaging with Jon is a joy, whether we are talking about Purdue basketball or our plans to change the world. I look forward to the continued growth of our friendship in the years to come.
Austin is the epitome of a servant hearted leader. His passion for finance and small business is obvious to everyone around him, and he continues to redefine what is possible for a college student to achieve. As the Senior Vice President of the Larsen Leaders Academy, he ran Daniels Leads, an event that exposes 150 student leaders to the leadership perspectives of three business executives. Austin’s stage presence and ability to seamlessly interact with executives 30 to 40 years his senior reminded me of Steve Jobs at Apple in the mid-2000s. I can always count on having a great time with Austin, whether we’re locked in a competitive game of ping pong or discussing the latest shake-up in high finance. I’m excited to have a front-row seat to all that he will accomplish.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? I’d like to thank my parents for their love and support throughout my time in college. They’ve been by my side through thick-and-thin and believed in me even when I abandoned the family legacy to attend college 1,000 miles from home. Also, they’ve taught me to be curious and that no knowledge is wasted; this has been the bedrock of my intellectual and personal journey the last four years.
Mom – You’ve supported me with words of encouragement and inspired me to faithfully pursue my hopes and dreams, no matter how grand.
Dad – You’ve shown me the value of hard work and taught me that a goal without a plan is just a wish.
I’ve truly valued the meaningful conversations I’ve had with my parents as my career in finance has taken shape, and I look forward to many more in the years ahead.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The first item on my professional bucket list is to spend time working on an international investing team. I enjoy traveling and immersing myself in different cultures, so I think it would be invaluable to learn how business is conducted in different parts of the world. I’ve also observed several other countries and regions with exciting economic potential, and I would love to play a role in their growth story.
The second item on my professional bucket list is to serve as governor of a U.S. state. I believe successful governors operate at a unique intersection of real-world impact and thoughtful, philosophical, and logical policymaking, enabling them to tackle society’s biggest questions. I’m uncertain if or how the opportunity to serve as a governor would ever present itself, but if given the chance, it would be the blessing of a lifetime.
What made Sam such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?
“I met Sam at our Larsen Leaders Academy (LLA) orientation event. This professional event included our new, incoming and existing LLA students—approximately 500 students total. I remember the event vividly. Sam was the first person to introduce himself to me. He walked up to me, put his hand out, smiled, looked me in the eye, and with a firm handshake, said, “Hi, I’m Sam Wadlington, it’s great to meet you!” This simple exchange impressed me as it showed courage, maturity, confidence, and initiative. Sam was different than many students. He had the ‘it’ factor—a charisma that is not easily replicated.
Sam has served several leadership roles (both formal and informal) during his time as a student at Purdue. For example, within the Larsen Leaders Academy, Sam was on the executive board where he oversaw external events. His vision has carried forward into one of the more successful annual events on campus—Daniels Leads—an event that brings in three c-suite-level executives to discuss topics on leadership. This event is 100% organized and delivered by our students.
Sam has also been actively involved in Boilermaker Consulting. In this leadership role Sam has: a) facilitated the creation of a student interest group focusing on consulting methodology and skills; b) recruited companies to be involved with our students; c) recruited business leaders to help mentor student-led projects; and d) participated in real-world consulting projects for actual clients.
Throughout Sam has demonstrated maturity beyond his years. He is always smiling and happy to help anyone in need.”
Brad Alge
Academic Director, Larsen Leaders Academy
Associate Professor of Business
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