Purdue's Rising Professionals program invites successful young alumni back to campus to interact with students. Rising Professionals are distinguished alumni who have not only been successful in their early careers, but were involved on campus during their time as a student, taking full advantage of the opportunities Purdue has to offer. Konkel was one of six Rising Professionals named this year, which took place March 4-5. This year's event included a "WALC the Talk" panel discussion in WALC's Hiler Theater, where Rising Professionals shared how their Purdue journey impacted their postgraduate success. The awardees also got to interact with students in classes and organization meetings, went on a tour of WALC, and attended two special dinners.

"Purdue IE prepared me for what I'm doing now in two big ways, with both problem-solving and perseverance," says Konkel. 

Konkel currently works for GE Healthcare as a materials team leader in Milwaukee. While at Purdue, she was involved in Old Masters, Institute of Industrial Engineers (now IISE), Purdue Foundation Student Board, Paint Crew (executive board), Boiler Gold Rush (team leader), Sigma Kappa sorority, and Gimlets. Last year she was named to the Forbes '30 Under 30' Class of 2017 in Manufacturing and Industry.

The Old Masters program has been a Purdue tradition since 1950, celebrating distinguished professionals while inspiring students to embody the value of the Boilermaker experience. Built as part of the Old Masters program, Rising Professionals was developed to inspire current Boilermakers and give them the opportunity to interact with some exceptional recent graduates.