Samson Balachander

The people were Samson’s favorite thing about Panhandle State, where he definitely feels he got a very well-rounded education that led to the position he has today.

“OPSU is such a closely knit community, I developed several close friendships that will last a life time! The time I spent at OPSU has played a major role in shaping my personal and professional life.”

While Balachander is currently serving as the IT (Information Technology) Manager for Helmerich and Payne Technologies in Tulsa, Okla., he and his family will soon be relocating to Denver due to a recent promotion. Balachander utilizes his degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS)/Business Administration daily.

As for the future, he wants to focus on developing future leaders while building a strong IT infrastructure.

Current Alumni President Diane Murphey was Balachander’s advisor during his time in Goodwell. She said, “I am very proud of Samson and all he has accomplished with this CIS degree from Panhandle State. His career has taken him on a global path and we are excited that it started at Panhandle.”

A fun fact about Balachander, he was the only guy from India that worked at the Meat Lab during the time he was going to school in Goodwell. “I still use the skills I learned over there to process the deer I hunt.”

To say Balachander was involved on campus as a student is a complete understatement! In addition to his position at the meat lab, he worked at McKee Library and the Carter Hall computer lab. Balachander was a member of the Programming team as well as the band. He competed one year for both the Aggie Cross Country team and the Golf team. In his free time, it definitely wasn’t unusual to find him at the Noble Center playing racquetball.

To look back on his time as an Aggie, Balachander is thankful for the opportunities he had to grow his faith. He worked as an intern for the Methodist Student Center (MSC) and was an active part of the Baptist Student Union (BSU), now known as the Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM).

Other fond memories come from having the chance to attend college with his sister, Selma, who also found Goodwell to be a great fit and graduated with an Elementary Education degree from Panhandle State.

Balachander and his wife, Veronica, have one son and he is passionate about being a great husband and father.