UC scholar overcomes health hurdles to see the world

While navigating through a cloud of decisions, choices and negotiations around her invisible disability, Cappel left no stone unturned. She says she learned to make even the smallest details a top priority — skills that she says eventually developed into her flair for leadership. 

Instead of being hindered, her diagnosis provided the opportunity to educate others about the disability and encourage acceptance in the community. 

As a University Honors Student and Marvin P. Kolodzik Business Scholar (KBS) in UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business — graduating this May with two bachelor’s degrees in marketing and accounting — Cappel has taken advantage of UC’s rich opportunities for studying abroad while pursuing academic excellence, one of the tenets of UC's Next Lives Here strategic direction.

“I knew the chance to experience life outside of Cincinnati and the United States would make me a better global citizen and a confident explorer through the world of business ventures,” says Cappel.

“Although tackling my food allergies overseas was going to be a little daunting, that didn’t mean I shouldn’t go."

Because of this experience, Cappel decided to create a resource that would help others understand the significance of traveling with a food allergy and how critical safe food prep is, so she started a blog. 

Her many sojourns were only a part of her out-of-classroom experiences. Five co-op rotations with two accounting firms in the Cincinnati region helped expose her to the world of professional auditing and tax management with companies such as Deloitte & Touche and the Barnes Dennig accounting firm. 

Learning to lead evolved somewhat naturally for Cappel as she says her food management habits seemed to dovetail organically into how she organizes her studies and student activities — especially as a board member of the Kolodzik Business Scholars program in the Lindner College of Business.  

“Each year I was able to grow right along with the growth of the program,” says Cappel. “Throughout my various roles on the board, I revamped our social media efforts to allow parents and alumni to stay connected to what our KBS students were accomplishing on campus.” 

Throughout Cappel’s four years as an active leader of student organizations, her opportunity for observing administrative skills up close and personal came while serving as a student associate in the UC president’s office.  

“In those four years, I had the honor of working under three different university presidents and observe up close their strategies and leadership styles,” she says. “I have vicariously learned through [UC President] Dr. [Neville] Pinto and his leadership examples, skills that I hope to use for my entire career,” says Cappel. "I’ve never seen a university president so focused on student education, having an unmatched strategic direction for the university and being such a genuine, kind leader.” 

During that time, Cappel helped plan the president's inauguration in the fall of 2017 and assisted with the faculty awards ceremony in April. Those are experiences she will never forget and hopes to emulate as she continues to lead. 

Academically, her success has been recognized locally and nationally with scholarship awards from the Cincinnati Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Ohio Society of CPAs and the Financial Executives International organization.