Achieving Women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education, or AWESOME — a national nonprofit that advances and transforms the future of supply chain leadership — selected two Sam M. Walton College of Business students, Rachel Spencer, a senior studying supply chain management, and Lily Raccasi, a senior majoring in international business with a supply chain concentration, as AWESOME 2023 Excellence in Education Scholars.

"I am so excited for Lily and Rachel. They represent the very best in the Walton supply chain program," said Stephanie Thomas, associate professor of practice in supply chain management and executive director of Women Impacting Supply Chain Excellence (WISE). "They are intelligent and driven leaders who desire to make a meaningful, lasting impact in their future careers. I can't wait to see the connections they make in this program with their fellow AWESOME Scholars as well as the successful AWESOME members."

Twenty scholarship recipients, including Spencer and Raccasi, will attend the annual AWESOME Symposium in May 2024. They receive a $5,000 financial scholarship for tuition and will have mentorship and networking opportunities with supply chain professionals. 

"University of Arkansas students have been selected for the past six years for this national award. AWESOME founder Ann Drake, CEO Michelle Dilley and the rest of the AWESOME team have done a great job with this program. It is a tremendous opportunity for the recipients, and the benefits go far beyond the financial reward," Thomas said.

Spencer plans to graduate from Walton College in December 2023, while Raccasi plans to graduate from Walton College in May 2024. 

Raccasi serves as the vice president of operations for Women Impacting Supply Chain Excellence (WISE) student organization. She is interning with Sam's Club this summer as an area manager intern. She is minoring in Spanish and Chinese and studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, in the summer of 2022.

Spencer serves as the president of WISE and previously served as a grade level liaison. She is working at General Mills as a North America retail sales intern this summer in Rogers. She previously interned with Del Monte as a customer supply chain intern.