My passion for human resources (HR) started in August 2012 (wow, that was eight years ago!) during my first day working at a lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer as a sales associate. While filling out paperwork, another new hire groaned and said to me, “Wow… A whole week of training?! Just put me on the sales floor and give me that employee discount!” Then we started watching videos about the company and its products. While other new hires appeared that they found this was boring, I felt very inspired and excited to start working for this company.

I worked for this retailer for about two years and I truly enjoyed it. I believe it was because I liked the people that I worked with and enjoyed the monthly enrichment training sessions. I enjoyed being part of the company’s culture. From that point on, I knew I wanted a career in human resources, specializing in learning and development to inspire other employees to love their job as well (I now want to specialize in workplace health & wellness to promote productivity in the workplace).

For nearly four years, I have been working in the administrative and onboarding disciplines of HR (I worked at a non-profit that provided services for individuals with autism for two years and then at a company that specialized in industry research) for about two years at the time). I have learned that communicating effectively, following labor laws and regulations, and being fair are all extremely important in this field, which is all about working with people (now I've learned there's a lot more to it). I am interested in how human capital can lead to successful opportunities for employees and how their talent can work toward the mission of a company. I am also interested in employee engagement, motivation, and organizational effectiveness (these are huge interests for me now). I believe that employees should be aware and be part of the perks and benefits that HR offers, such as health care coverage, employee assistance programs (EAPs), tax reimbursement, tuition programs and much more (the field of benefits inspired me to get focused in workplace health & wellness today).

I believe that the best way for me to achieve this goal is by pursuing a Masters degree in Human Resource Management and Development with a concentration in Learning, Development, and Executive Coaching (I have changed my concentration to Human Resource Management since then) at NYU. This school is located in the heart of NYC, which is a place that thrives on diversity and great business competition. The programs’ courses, such as “Managing Inclusion and Cultural Diversity”, will help me be part of a diverse university culture where great ideas are easily traded and expanded upon, which can also be applied in the workplace. Another course like “Advanced Employee Recruitment, Selection, and Retention” will help me understand how to choose employees with a great skill set and I will learn how their specific skill sets can contribute and inspire them to be part of any company culture. Though training costs time, money, and materials, I believe that for employees to do their job efficiently, they must be properly trained. I also believe that it is important for people to enjoy what they do so that they can perform well and care about their work product. The learning and development-based courses that NYU offers, such as “Foundations of Coaching and Coaching Theory” and “Coaching Skills and Techniques,” will help me understand how and why maximizing employee performance is important and that employees can be retained through proper training.

HR plays a critical role both now and in the future of any company because business strategies and employment laws are constantly changing. I believe that change for the future can begin with the students at NYU (it's happening now). As an emerging HR professional in NYC, I know that my student life at NYU will be as diverse and dynamic as the city for which we are named (and it definitely is today). I know how important it is to follow Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations and that they help contribute to a safe and diverse workplace. In addition, I believe that I can make the NYU community a better place by relating my passion for HR through my education at NYU. Similar to how I believe employee engagement is important in the workplace, I would encourage students to meet one another, share similar interests, and have them engage in NYU based events. I would encourage students to participate in all the school’s resources, such as tutoring, job coaching & mentoring, recreation facilities and other services (I have done these things by being a board member of NYU SPS SHRM). I believe this would help by connecting them with students who have previous knowledge and have had a positive experience from them. If students become more aware of these resources and start to utilize them, they can become more efficient students – just like how a company would want to retain efficient employees. Also, similar to my belief that proper training in the workplace can improve work performance, I would let those who want to be proficient in HR know that NYU offers the best master's program to help them succeed (I have been a speaker at some graduate information sessions).

Overall, I know that the best program to help me achieve my goal of being successful in HR is the Masters’ degree in Human Resource Management and Development at NYU. I want the employee experience to be a collaborative relationship that not only allows people to feel more engaged and happy at work, but also allows them to contribute their best ideas efficiently and productively. I believe that I could help encourage this relationship to the student experience at NYU. This program will help me expand my passion for HR and I would be able to contribute my interests, work experience, and education to the future of HR in a positive way (and it definitely has).