A first-gen college student hits her stride at CPO

August 26, 2020


Center for Positive Organizations Impact Stories

A first-gen college student hits her stride at CPO

Grace Lindeman

“The Magnify Immersion Program transformed my view about what I can be and what business can be.”

College is stressful for many young people. But as a first-generation college student unfamiliar with the expectations and demands of Michigan Ross, Grace Lindeman found the transition to be particularly challenging. But then, she discovered the Center for Positive Organizations (CPO). “It was the first time I felt like I had a home at Ross,” she said. “It completely changed everything for me.”

CPO’s mission resonated with Grace and inspired her to pursue a career using business as a force for good. As a student in the Magnify Immersion Program, she learned how to put this passion into practice. Magnify showed her how organizations can change people’s lives and positively impact the world. “It transformed my view about what I can be and what business can be.”

Magnify impacted Grace so deeply, she was eager to stay connected to the Center as she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees. So the following year, she became a Lead Fellow for the +LAB program—a co-curricular program designed to immerse students in the theory and practice of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS). Now in her third year in this role, she appreciates the value of everything she has learned.

“The principles of POS focus on everything accountants care about—helping companies allocate their resources in ways that best support the company and its employees. The result is more engaged employees, lower turnover, less absenteeism, and reduced health care costs,” she said. “These are elements that are so important, but a lot of companies just aren’t focused on them.”

After graduation, Grace has accepted a position as an audit associate at Deloitte. “During the interview process, I think Deloitte saw the value in the skills I learned at CPO. And that gave me a leg up over the competition.”

Grace hopes to be a change agent at Deloitte, applying what she’s learned to help clients improve their businesses. “The Center for Positive Organizations equipped me with the resources to make a positive difference in any organization,” she said. “The more that companies get involved, the more they will realize the benefit.”

Grace Lindeman earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2019 and graduated with a Master of Accounting from Michigan Ross in May 2020.


This story and others appear in the Center for Positive Organizations 2020 Impact Report.