James “Randy” Carter, a junior in the UAB Collat School of Business, was awarded the Gary L. Buffington Memorial Scholarship by the Industrial Supply Association. The $10,000 scholarship is given every year to the best industrial distribution student in the nation.
In 2009 Carter, a husband and father of two, became a victim of the economic downturn and made the decision to go back to school and earn his degree. He is scheduled to graduate in May 2013 with a double major in Industrial Distribution and Business Management. Carter has 20 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry, including four years as a business owner.
“Randy puts education at the forefront of his priorities and is coming from what most would see as a negative situation, losing his job, but he is here with a positive attitude and he uses that experience as a platform to propel himself rather than struggle. He has been an inspiration to all who know him,” said Thomas DeCarlo, Ph.D., chair of Industrial Distribution.
Carter is the third Blazer to win the prestigious scholarship since its inception nine years ago.