Tina Pierce remembers arriving in Hong Kong on business for the first time, early in her career.

Originally from Selma, Indiana, population around 800, Tina found herself sharing a city with 6 million other people living in tight quarters.

“I was overwhelmed,” she said. “It was a fast-paced, 24–7 environment.”

Twenty years later, having traveled to 65 countries for work and pleasure, Tina sees how getting out of her comfort zone and into other cultures has helped her grow as a person and has advanced her career.

Tina is vice president and CFO for Honeywell Performance Materials & Technologies and lives in Atlanta. She attended Ball State with help from a Frank B. Bernard Scholarship and graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. In 2020, she was inducted into the Miller College of Business Hall of Fame.

In 2013, she established the Pierce Scholarship Fund to provide assistance to students receiving course credit in study-abroad or domestic travel opportunities. She also plans to add to that fund with a bequest to Ball State.

Tina understands the need. She said she would have liked to have studied abroad in London while at Ball State, but she didn’t have the money.

“I just want to give back,” she explained. “Travel can help jump-start a career. It shows that you are adaptable and resilient and that you appreciate different cultures.”

To learn more about ways to give back to Ball State, visit bsu.edu/foundation/give.