May business graduate earns numerous national accolades in her senior year
Honors grad Natalie Blickensderfer was honored nationally for her entrepreneurial and marketing skills in her senior year at the College of Business.
From Staff Reports |
Honors Student and May Graduate Natalie Blickensderfer capped off her college career with two national honors, which were just the latest in a string of accolades Blickensderfer earned during her time earning a Bachelor of Business Administration.
In April she and classmate Kendal Matas placed second in the highly competitive Texas Christian University (TCU) Neeley School of Business Values and Ventures® Competition, earning a $25,000 prize to invest in their venture, OnTheJob™, a web platform that connects candidates to skilled trades opportunities.
In May, the finance major from Plano, Texas, was named one of the nation’s Top 100 undergraduate business majors for 2025 by Poets&Quants for Undergrads, the leading online publication for undergraduate business education.
The annual TCU competition draws top undergraduate entrepreneurs from around the world to pitch for-profit business ideas that also solve significant societal challenges.
Matas and Blickensderfer, representing Lipscomb’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, competed against students from institutions such as the University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, Stanford University, National University of Singapore and Michigan State University.
Their success marks the fourth consecutive year a Lipscomb team has placed among the top 10 in the competition, which is recognized as one of the premier undergraduate business competitions globally.
Poets&Quants’ annual “Best & Brightest Business Majors” list recognizes students who not only excel academically but who also make meaningful contributions to their institutions, distinguish themselves through leadership and service, and embody the qualities of initiative, integrity and innovation.
Allison Duke, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Business, said Blickensderfer exemplifies the best of Lipscomb’s business graduates.
“Natalie embodies the heart of Lipscomb — faith-driven, intellectually curious and deeply engaged,” said Duke. “Through her leadership in student organizations, success
During her time at Lipscomb, Blickensderfer served as president of Lipscomb’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), where she led her team to multiple national accolades. Under her leadership, the chapter earned top-three finishes in the Marketing Strategy competition at AMA’s International Collegiate Conference in both 2022 and 2024, and secured first place in the Design Lab competition in 2024. She also received individual awards for Perfect Pitch (2nd place, 2023) and Sales (3rd place, 2024).
In addition to her work with AMA, Blickensderfer was a founding member and president of Lipscomb’s Classics Book Club and served on the College of Business Dean’s Student Leadership Council. She was a member of the winning team in the 2024 Tractor Supply Company Supply Chain Case Study Competition and earned top honors in the 2024 Oracle Elevator Pitch Competition.
Blickensderfer with retired business professor and administrator Joe Ivey.
In recognition of her strategic thinking and leadership, she was also named the inaugural recipient of Lipscomb’s Joe Ivey Strategy Award in 2024.
“Operating in a variety of student organizations and competitions has allowed me to diversify my educational experience,” Blickensderfer said. “There are many incredible and hard-working students who could have easily deserved this award. I just happen to be involved in many different spaces.”
After completing an internship this summer, Blickensderfer returns to Texas and to pursue a career in finance or the tech industry, where she hopes to apply her skills in analyzing and interpreting financial data.
While her resume reflects a long list of achievements, Blickensderfer said her time at Lipscomb was defined just as much by personal growth as it was by accolades. The environment at Lipscomb gave her the confidence to step outside her comfort zone, she said.
“Lipscomb has been a great place to learn how to fail, too. This is a relatively risk-free environment,” she said. “I feel freedom to try new things, take business classes outside of my major and participate in events that don’t align with my perceived skill set.”
Blickensderfer said Lipscomb’s emphasis on faith integration was also instrumental in shaping her college experience.
“Being a Christian at Lipscomb means that conversations about faith are not off-limits,” she said. “Both in the classroom and with friends, it is not abnormal to use Scripture in conversation or talk about how the Lord is growing us. I’ve loved how faith impacts our classes, and the comfortability people have here.”
As Blickensderfer leaves Lipscomb, she said her experience will have a lasting impact.
“This place has truly shaped me. I’m walking away with more than just a degree,” she said. “I’m walking away with deep relationships, a stronger faith and the confidence to pursue whatever comes next.”