Zachary Harper
WASHINGTON — Zachary Harper, an accounting major at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and a Conrad Prebys Scholar, been chosen by the Institute for Responsible Citizenship to participate in its prestigious program during the summers of 2021 and 2022.
The Institute is an intensive two-summer program for some of America’s best and brightest African American male college students. The scholars live together in a residence hall, work at internships in their fields of interest, participate in a rigorous seminar on economic and constitutional principles, meet privately with prominent public and private sector leaders, participate in personal and professional development workshops, and enjoy a variety of social activities.
Admission into the Institute is extremely competitive. The newly-selected scholars represent a range of backgrounds and interests and attend a variety of colleges and universities, including Harvard and Yale universities, the University of Chicago, Howard University and New York University.
Harper is the first IU student ever selected to participate since the Institute was established in 2001.
“We are immensely proud of Zachary and how he has represented not only the Kelley School but also the Prebys Scholars’ Program inside and outside of the classroom,” said Pat Hopkins, chair of the Undergraduate Program and Glaubinger Chair for Undergraduate Leadership. “He is a perfect example of the type of emerging business leader that we value at the Kelley School.
“Zachary’s integrity and his singular commitment to his academics and involvement will serve him well on this next stage of his professional journey,” Hopkins added. “We know that he will have success and that he will bring that back to make our Kelley community even stronger.”
Institute alumni have become Rhodes Scholars and Fulbright Scholars and are the recipients of numerous other prestigious academic awards. They include many who have gone on to earn doctorates, medical and law degrees and MBAs and have gone on to work in a variety of professions.
“The achievements of our alumni indicate that our program is working. I created the Institute to provide the most talented African American male students the kind of support that many others in our society take for granted,” said William A. Keyes, president of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. “We provide exposure to opportunities, valuable internship experiences, and introductions to people who can support them on their journey to pursue extraordinary success for reasons that are bigger than themselves.”
In 2019, Harper was among 13 Kelley students making up the inaugural class of Prebys Scholars. Preference for the scholarships, established through a $20 million gift in 2015 to Kelley and the university, is given to students who are traditionally underrepresented in the field of business. Students receive partial funding toward standard tuition and fees and other support in the form of an advisor and a Kelley student mentor.
Harper also is a student in the Hutton Honors College. He serves on the Kelley School Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee. He is gaining experience in finance as an equity research analyst at BLK Capital Management, a Black-owned institution whose managers are African American college students. His hometown is Detroit, Mich.