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Kelley student's work with Habitat for Humanity shapes her future

Deanna Gallo is a senior at IU's Kelley School of Business. In this piece she shares her experiences working on the recent Whirlpool® Building Blocks initiative Habitat for Humanity build on the Bloomington campus and discusses how her work with Habitat for Humanity has shaped her career path. Deanna said the blitz did more than build a home; it left her with a sense that she's now officially a member of the Bloomington community, not just the campus community.



Saturday, Oct. 2, marked history as Indiana University, Whirlpool Corp. and Habitat for Humanity finished the first blitz build on a college campus with the help of more than 600 volunteers. Movers then transported the house of Trish Vosekas to its permanent location in Bloomington.

Habitat Volunteers

Habitat for Humanity volunteers (from left) Jen Sever and Deanna Gallo, Trish Vosekas (new homeowner), Sarah Hatteberg

For me, it was a whirlwind to watch the house built so fast and to be a part of the effort, and it wasn't even going to be my house. I was fortunate enough to join the build on two occasions. Both times, I needed to walk around the site just to take in the progress that was made.

When volunteers arrived on site, we signed in, discussed safety and Habitat's goals, assigned tasks and got to work. Everyone worked hard but it was more fun than anything. The whole community was involved in the build from undergraduate and graduate students to university deans and provosts, to alums, community members and CFOs. It was incredible to watch everyone come together for a few hours. We all shared a common goal of helping build Trish's house and for those few hours, titles didn't matter. In these events, I've always found that you meet the best people and like everyone you meet.

Habitat Build

Habitat for Humanity build at IU.

Print-Quality Photo

Bloomington is an incredible community. The people here are truly invested in their community and the people in it. After this build, I officially feel like I'm a part of this special community. I've joined Habitat for Humanity this semester as a Spanish translator to get more involved, too. I've spent and enjoyed the Saturdays on site and there is honestly no place I'd rather be. I've developed a strong passion for building homes and will be leading a spring break trip to the Southeast through the Alternative Break Program in the Kelley School of Business.

I truly believe, especially in business, that we can change the world and have the power to do so. It was great to see a corporation like Whirlpool out and sponsoring the build. It's about giving back. My experiences in the last two years have completely changed my perception of what's important and fulfilling and inspired me to change my career path. I'm currently studying accounting and supply chain management at Kelley but my ultimate career goals are to work in corporate social responsibility and at the end of the day, make a positive difference in the world.