For the past three years, Ally Financial has collaborated with the School of Business to advance student success, boost experiential learning, and create meaningful career pathways.
What began as a focused effort to expand recruiting in the Pittsburgh region quickly revealed a strong alignment between Ally’s talent needs and Duquesne’s mission. According to Luke Frawley, Director of Business Development at Ally, that initial effort has evolved into a dynamic corporate–university relationship that has already launched more than 10 Duquesne students into internships, full-time roles, and the company’s highly competitive talent development programs.
Ally’s Gold-Tier sponsorship of the School’s Center for Leadership in Professional Selling (CLPS) has deepened the company’s presence on campus and created valuable opportunities for students to interact directly with industry professionals. From mentoring sessions and networking events to leading course-embedded projects and live role-play coaching, Ally representatives are a regular presence in Rockwell Hall.
As the co-host of the School’s annual Steel City Sales Challenge (SCSC), Ally plays a central role in one of the School’s flagship experiential learning competitions. The SCSC is a two-day, virtual two-round competition with sales role-play and elevator pitch tracks, open to undergraduate students from universities across the country.
Ally believes that by engaging students early, long before the job application process, they are building relationships that prepare students for today’s competitive sales environment. A clear example of how Ally’s three-year relationship has been a win-win is the number of Duquesne students Ally has hired for internships and meaningful professional roles.
Frawley shared that this year alone, half of Ally’s local intern cohort came from Duquesne. That momentum has translated into even greater opportunity. Two students, Connor Williams and Briana Russell, have secured coveted spots in Ally’s Auto Finance Accelerated Talent Development Program (Auto DRIVE), the company’s premier entry-level, two-year rotational program.
This achievement underscores the depth of Ally’s investment in Duquesne’s talented business students and the career pathways this collaboration continues to create. Each year, only 5–10 candidates nationwide are selected, most of whom are sourced from Ally’s intern pool. This year marks the first time students from a single institution have earned spots in the same cohort.
Frawley praised both Williams and Russell as “incredibly driven, motivated to do well, strong performers, and natural leaders who connect well with people.”
Their success underscores the strength of the School of Business’s preparation for students in technical and relationship-building skills, professionalism, and communication that employers like Ally value.
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