Student Experience: Theresa Tennyson-Young

“The Logistics program originally caught my eye while I was registering my sons for college. I have a bachelor’s degree in finance from Dallas Baptist University, but stumbled into an inventory and logistics career more than 13 years ago. Most of my experience has been learned on the job, with little formal training in the industry. 

“With the Logistics program, I wanted to learn more about the career I’m already in. My desire was for the program to help me fill in the gaps in my education and it has! Many of the terms and processes I use daily have been explained in detail through my classes. It has helped me better understand how all the pieces fit together and how many of the processes developed. 

“Now I have a much better idea of where processes and programs come from and the thought sequences behind them. There were a lot of terms I already knew from my work experience, but only from the fairly narrow perspective of my company. Now I have a much broader view of how the whole industry works — it’s so interesting how everything all fits together. 

“For instance, in my Materials Management class, I learned how they come up with the various formulas so that I now know why we do what we do. It really gives me a better understanding of my job. All those years on the job, I had had no formal training in logistics or warehousing. 

“My Logistics classes have given me new ideas on ways to handle things at work. And the convenience of the online courses lets me fit school around my work schedule, which isn’t always easy, but definitely worth the effort. 

“Education can help you stay up-to-date with the newest technologies and improvements, so you can stay on top of your job. Warehousing and inventory may not sound exciting, but they are. And they’re really important — if those areas don’t work within a company, the company just doesn’t work. 

“My advice? Take some classes to see what a program area is all about; it really helps. There can be all kinds of terms and phrases thrown at you and when you understand what they’re talking about, then you’re not just repeating the terminology. When you understand what you’re doing and why, then you can look for ways to improve your school work and eventually your job.” 

As a senior inventory analyst for Cummins Southern Plains, Theresa Tennyson-Young is responsible for the maintenance of several millions dollars’ worth of inventory. The company is a parts distributor for engines and construction equipment in Texas and Oklahoma and includes such diverse components as distributing marine equipment on the Texas coast to oil and gas equipment in east Texas and Oklahoma. Theresa pursued a certificate in Logistics Technology. Both of her sons attended Dallas College before transferring to four-year institutions to earn bachelor’s degrees.

Read More