Outstanding Graduating CIS Senior: Kyle Helmle

Whether it was coaching kids on the basketball team, tutoring classmates, or being a friendly face to a new first-year student, helping others comes naturally to this triple major, new alumnus.

Whether it was coaching the younger kids on the basketball team, tutoring classmates, or being a friendly face to a new first-year student, helping others comes naturally to Kyle Helmle (BS Computer Information Systems ’16, BS Accountancy’16, BS Finance ’16).

He spent most of his three and a half years of college volunteering and doing his best to make a positive impact on others. He also managed to earn three degrees.

His passion for helping others and his remarkable achievements made Helmle stand out among his peers. No wonder he was recognized by the Department of Information Systems as the Outstanding Graduating Senior for the Fall 2016 semester.

“We are very proud to send this particular graduate out into the workforce,” said Professor Raghu Santanam in his letter nominating Helmle for the award.

Santanam, chair of the Department of Information Systems, said Helmle is a generous leader who makes time in his already busy schedule to mentor and guide fellow students in their academic paths. “Kyle will undoubtedly continue blazing a trail of excellence and make business personal to all those he comes in contact with in the years to come,” Santanam said.

Paying it forward

Those who gave Helmle a helping hand when he needed it inspire his altruistic attitude.

His first year at ASU was challenging. He left home in California, moved to Tempe, and didn’t know anyone. The residential assistant (RA) in his dorm encouraged him to get involved. Helmle credits his RA for setting him on the right path to a great college experience.

The residential assistant role fits well with Helmle’s tendency to help others, so he became an RA the next year in the Hassayampa Academic Village. “I wanted to be that person to others, a guide and a resource,” he said.

Helmle was known for always leaving his door open. He’d walk down the hall and check in with the residents, asking how their day was and how they were adjusting to college life. Helmle was an RA at Hassayampa throughout his time in college.

Timothy Leyson, the assistant director for residential life, said Helmle is a “stand-out leader” and an asset to their team.

“Kyle takes the time to know each resident and invests time and energy into their experience,” Leyson said in his letter of recommendation for Helmle to receive the Outstanding Graduating Senior award.

Helmle also worked and volunteered as a member of the business school council, a business tutor, and a mentor in the Student To Empowered Professional (STEP) program. The STEP program pairs college students with high school seniors to set and meet goals, such as helping high school students apply to colleges, write a resume, or learn proper business etiquette. Helmle often kept in touch with his mentees and gave them some pointers once they got into college. “I thought I could be a valuable resource and help them figure out what would suit them best,” he said. “I enjoyed that.”

Helmle said he never really thought about why he has a tendency to help others. He said he has always taken a leadership role in sports teams and group projects, and just always assumed that if each member succeeded, the whole team would be successful. “It’ll end up paying off for me, too,” he said.

Starting a career

Helmle planned to use his leadership skills and head to work on Wall Street, but he realized that wasn’t the career he saw for himself. “Your perspective is always different than what it is,” he said about his early career plan.

Helmle saw many opportunities available with a career in information technology and thought that path might be better suited for him. He had room in his schedule, so he decided to add another major — computer information systems — a focus that would complement his finance degree, he thought.

“Little did I know that this major would be my most challenging subject and force me to grow intellectually. I tell everyone that this major will change your way of thinking and significantly improve your analytical skill set,” Helmle said in a letter to the Department of Information Systems regarding the Outstanding Graduating Senior award.

He was already taking a heavy course load but was comfortable with it and decided it wouldn’t be too difficult to add an accounting degree as well. “I guess you could say it just fell into place,” he said. Helmle completed all three degrees in three and a half years and graduated with a 3.89 GPA.

He’ll go to work in September for NetSuite Inc., a cloud computing company that offers management software services for businesses. Helmle will be a technical analyst and enterprise resource planning consultant based in Denver.

It’s a far cry from Wall Street, but a career Helmle is excited to begin. In the meantime, he plans to travel, brush up on his Spanish skills, do some unassigned reading, and become certified as a personal trainer.

Another way Helmle enjoys helping others is in the gym. He inspires and motivates friends to live a healthy life and reach their fitness goals. He also likes working out and being active and plans to compete in powerlifting competitions this year.