Human Resources Management students earn regional, national recognition

The Central Washington University chapter of the international Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) excelled on both the regional and national stage last school year, as evidenced by a pair of awards they received over the summer.

The first, a SHRM Superior Merit Award, was granted to the chapter as a whole, in recognition of a full year of dedication and immersion in a broad variety of programming led by the chapter’s leaders including Jessica German, the former Director of Professional Relations for CWU’s SHRM chapter and a Human Resources Management program alumna.

German brought industry connections to the club and supported coordination of the Northwest HR Management Association (NHRMA) Leaders of Tomorrow student conference at CWU in April. As a result of her efforts, she also received another, more personal recognition, reported SHRM Advisor and Professor of Business James Avey.

“After Jessica had played such an influentual part in putting on the conference, the president of NHRMA asked me who she was,” Avey said. “She recommended that I nominate her for the Undergraduate Student Excellence Award, and after a bit of paperwork on her part, she found out over the summer that she had won.”

NHRMA serves as the regional branch of SHRM for Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Alaska. Each year, the organization chooses one student from across the region for the award based on academic performance, professional contributions and nominations from their professors.

German came to CWU as a transfer student in 2023, knowing she wanted to enter the world of business but unsure of where exactly her role would be.

“I knew I wanted to major in business, but I hadn’t worked out what to specialize in,” she said. “After several courses in HR, as well as an internship back home in Sequim, I realized the summer before my senior year that HR was the focus I wanted to pursue.”

With a direction in mind, German started building up her experience immediately, joining the SHRM leadership team and working to secure speaking engagements with the club’s industry partners. She also took over as president of the Women in Business Club that same year, making her a natural candidate for the Undergraduate Student Excellence Award.

“We’ve had one other student recognized with this award in the 20 years I’ve been here, so it’s a pretty big deal,” Avey said. “Jessica has been putting in the hours and taking on leadership responsibilities across the college, all while maintaining a high GPA. I started wondering if she ever slept.”

As part of the NHRMA Leaders of Tomorrow conference, students were invited to tour local businesses, including Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, where German was eventually offered a full-time seasonal position.

“My experience in leading the club really helped me secure my job after graduation and prepare for the wider world of HR,” she said. “It equipped me with skills and insight that I wouldn’t necessarily have gotten otherwise.”

Avey noted that the CWU Human Resources Management program boasts an extremely high job placement rate, thanks to its nuanced approach to the subject.

“If you think about organizational problems, they’re almost always people problems as opposed to technology or money problems,” he said. “If you can train HR professionals to solve those problems, as opposed to being compliance cops, they provide a much greater value to the organization.”

This approach is what initially drew German to the field, and to what would become her future career.

“HR at its best involves helping employees and providing them with the resources they need to succeed,” she said. “I really like the connections that come from that relationship.”

German knows that, with her prestigious recognition from the NHRMA backing her up — and the club receiving its own international recognition under her leadership — her future in the field is looking bright.

"I think this will be great to include on my resume, as well as my LinkedIn profile," she said. "More importantly though, it represents the experiences that strengthened my passion for HR and taught me the value of supporting employees, making a positive impact in the workplace and helping organizations succeed."