Samaria Jordan

How did you first hear about Rize, and why did you decide to take a Rize course?

Samaria is a senior graduating in May with a business administration degree and concentration in supply chain management. She had been a school bus driver for 10 years when she decided to go back to school about a year and a half ago, she already knew she was interested in supply chain given the natural overlap with her background in transportation. In addition to the engaging curriculum, Samaria enjoys the meaningful relationship she has with her Rize professor Dr. Stevens:

“We connected because he told me that he used to drive school buses as well. He’s encouraged me because this whole entire time I've been driving buses, I had no idea that that was a form of logistics. He was like, ‘I need you to fix your resume because you’ve been doing time delivery methods and logistics for a long time. You’re underestimating yourself.’ It’s very encouraging to know that you have a professor that is pushing you along the way.”

How did you apply your Rize skills outside of the classroom?

Samaria still works part-time driving school buses with Student Transportation of America in her region. When her terminal manager was conflicted about schools wanting electric vehicles but lacking budget, Samaria suggested developing a contract where schools would invest in the buses while the company benefited from supplying them. Over two months, they developed a contract together for 10 leased EV buses from Midwest Transit, and eventually had two school districts sign on. Samaria contributed in three key areas:

Supplier strategy: She recommended selecting buses from Midwest Transit that already had RFID inventory tracking installed to avoid needing a third-party supplier, and helped calculate how many vehicles would be needed. She also suggested having a contingency plan with a backup supplier in case of disruptions.

Risk management: She suggested putting veteran drivers (5+ years experience) in the new buses to reduce accident liability, which became part of the contract terms.

Forecasting methods: She used quantitative and qualitative forecasting methods she learned in her courses to make additional recommendations for route and operational efficiency.

How did this experience impact your career trajectory?

Samaria’s contribution to a key project gave her the confidence to continue in this industry after college: “I was very shocked that my manager gave me the chance to help her with this. I felt important. To go from being just a regular bus driver in school, to being able to sit down with her and crunch numbers was so exciting. It also confirmed that my classes did help me; for example the terminology she used I was able to follow along with.”

Working on the contract showed Samaria the complexity behind operations management, and gave her confidence in Dr. Steven’s reframing of her experience in logistics: "It made me realize the hard work that goes into me being a bus driver, I never knew it was that intricate, so many details."

The experience also inspired a long-term goal for Samaria, to own a transportation company one day.

What's next for you?

After the impact that Samaria delivered with the EV initiative, she was offered a position as an assistant terminal manager at Student Transportation of America after graduation in May. The role will involve tracking buses, monitoring driver compliance with safety protocols, managing payroll documentation, overseeing bus yard operations, and assisting with software system adoption. While Samaria feels a little bit nervous about learning the technical software systems, she is very excited about the opportunity to step into a higher level operational role.