EDWARDSVILLE – Their commonalities are undeniably abundant. And, while they don’t have everything in common, the Stewart triplets from Edwardsville will share another major life milestone as they earn their undergraduate degrees from the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business during the May 2020 commencement ceremonies being held virtually on Saturday, May 9.
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The trio comprising Emily, Hailey and Olivia will join their older brother Jordan, a 2012 alumnus, in the SIUE Alumni Association, with their younger brother Stephen slated to follow suit in 2022. All five siblings will hold degrees from the School of Business.
After each sister began their collegiate journeys pursuing other majors, including pre-pharm (Hailey), biology (Olivia) and nursing (Emily), it wasn’t long before they realized a shared passion for business analytics, and declared majors in computer management and information systems (CMIS).
“It has been convenient always having two study partners around,” Hailey said. “Our classes and schedules haven’t always lined up, but we still have had the opportunity to work together on projects and offer each other advice. It has been interesting to see how different our journeys have been, while ultimately all ending up in the same place. I am proud to have attended my local university.”
“Our dad works in IT (information technology), and he pushed us all to try a few CMIS courses,” Emily recalled. “I felt like it was a perfect fit and had amazing job prospects for women. We definitely hold each other accountable for completing assignments. It helps that we are all a little competitive when it comes to grades.”
The triplets were all involved in the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), with Emily and Olivia holding leadership roles as vice president and secretary, respectively. Additionally, all three studied abroad in Italy through the School of Business, calling the experience a “highlight of our lives.”
“SIUE has an amazing study abroad program,” said Olivia, who also studied at Richmond the American International University in London. “This was one of the greatest experiences during my college career. I learned so much about international business while getting to travel the world.”
The sisters all plan to travel more in the future, and eventually move out of the area, noting the endless career possibilities that exist for business professionals. Among the potential career paths for the CMIS graduates are roles in data analytics, database design and/or project management at a technology company.
SIUE’s School of Business and the accountancy programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, representing the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. The Princeton Review lists SIUE as one of the top 252 business schools in the U.S. for the 13th consecutive year. Undergraduate degrees are offered in accountancy and business administration, with specializations in computer management and information systems (CMIS), economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, international business, management and marketing. Graduate degrees include accountancy, business administration, CMIS and marketing research, with specializations in tax, project management and business analytics. More than 26,000 alumni have earned degrees from the SIUE School of Business. For more information about the School of Business, visit siue.edu/business.
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