The SHRM Foundation will award more than 225 scholarships in 2016—Andrew is one of thousands of HR professionals and students that have been impacted by these awards each year. Andrew found his way to HR in high school and his commitment to the profession has not wavered. His dedication to the profession, to helping others and bettering himself is what makes him a great representation of HR professionals and so many of the SHRM Foundation scholarship recipients.
Andrew Marcotte
Ever since hearing about the SHRM-CP, I was eager to take this test. After graduating college and beginning my HR career, I knew that this certification was the next step in my journey. This scholarship provides me with the opportunity to bring my career to an accelerated level which will benefit myself and my company.
I found out early on in life that it was ok to fail. It was a great thing! How else are we going to learn a lesson? One study showed that babies learning to walk, fell 68 times an hour and after each fall, they got back up again to try once more. The hardest part of overcoming failure is learning when to try again and learning when to quit all together. You know yourself better than anyone else, I was fortunately able to figure out when to persevere and when to quit, and that has got me to where I am today.
Winning this scholarship proves that hard work and determination pay off. It also proves that early career HR professionals have the resources and support to begin their certifications. The SHRM Foundation has a great support structure in place that enabled me to apply for this scholarship. That same funding arrangement is there for many others to take advantage of this opportunity as well.
Early on in my life, my father taught me to be persistent and passionate. Combine these with hard work and ethics, he said, and you can go far in life.
In high school, my father introduced me to the idea of working in human resources and believe me, the last thing I wanted to think about as a high school senior, was the next 50 years. After some research into this career and a few job shadows, I was set that I would make my career all about HR.
This past December, my father passed away unexpectedly. Just five months before I would graduate college and accept a full-time role in human resources. His death forced me to look back on the impact that he had on me and how short life can be. I am excited to work in a career that can impact people every day. I live by the famously said Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” We as HR professionals have the ability and duty to influence every employee’s life for the better.
For more stories of transformation check back on the SHRM Blog for #TransformTues each week. Scholarships like Andrew’s are only possible because of gifts from individuals. Help transform the lives of HR leaders by making a donation to the SHRM Foundation at shrmfoundation.org/donate.
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