Kate Hevner Mueller served Indiana University from 1937 to 1969 as Dean of Women, Senior Counselor for Women, and Professor of Education. Dr. Mueller was a national pioneer for women professionals and developed the Master’s Program in College Student Personnel (Higher Education and Student Affairs) at Indiana University in the early 1950s. The Kate Hevner Mueller Senior Awards were established in 2013 to honor IU seniors who have proven leadership on campus both inside and outside of the classroom and who have improved the IU community by their presence.
This year, Indiana University has selected 28 outstanding recipients for the Kate Hevner Mueller Outstanding Senior Award. In this article, we congratulate Sritej Vontikommu for his ability to represent Dr. Mueller’s essential goals of the university: to promote intellect, develop personality, and inspire citizenship and leadership to all students.
Sritej Vontikommu
Sritej is earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Information Systems from the Kelley School of Business. He held internships in the finance industry with Sycamore Capital and Variantz. On-campus, Sritej held leadership roles as the President of Wright Student Government for two years, coordinating all Wright Quadrangle student government activities, and served two years as the Vice President of Finance for the Indiana Memorial Union Board. He also served as President of the 112th Indiana Memorial Union, leading and supporting 15 directors in planning programs and events for students during COVID-19, which required extraordinary innovation and creativity in terms of event execution.
Sritej found support and encouragement in his family and, specifically at Indiana University, in his “outside the classroom” experiences. When asked to share his appreciation, he said:
I cannot express my appreciation enough to my friends, advisors, and mentors, especially Mara Dahlgren, Hank Walter, Teresa Weimann, Missy Godsey, LaSabra Williams, Glen Robbins, Eric Orona, and Blake Ragan. I have learned so much as a leader these past 4 years, things you can’t learn in a classroom, and it could not have been done without the help and support of you all. I also would like to thank my family, Bhaskar, Madhavi, and Priya, for encouraging me to push past my disability, pursue my passions, and create positive change in my life.”
Leave a Reply