Student Chapter Receives Superior Merit Award from SHRM

The Student Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at Youngstown State University has been awarded the 2022-2023 Superior Merit Award for providing exceptional growth and development opportunities to its student members. This marks the sixth time in seven years that the YSU SHRM Chapter has received this prestigious national recognition.

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YSU's SHRM Student Chapter members Lexie Gentry, Social Media coordinator; Colleen Davis, president; Kimberly Pleva, faculty advisor; Cierra Anzelmo, treasurer; and Mary Baka, secretary hold the Chapter's six Merit Award certificates earned in the last seven years.

The SHRM Student Chapter Merit Award program encourages the development of student chapters and recognizes outstanding activities and projects. Chapters receive recognition based on operations, chapter programming and professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

YSU students hosted a networking meeting for the Western Reserve Professional SHRM Chapter in March 2023. The YSU SHRM group earned second place overall in the 2022 Ohio HR Games held at the University of Akron. In 2021, the YSU’s chapter established a formal mentoring program, pairing students with experienced HR professionals for half a semester to receive career coaching and guidance. The YSU student group also featured speakers from Meijer, Nestle, Southwest Airlines, and Rockwell Automation, as they visited YSU’s campus. YSU SHRM students have created employer panel discussions, participated in company site visits, and organized numerous networking opportunities for students, with plans to continue these initiatives.

"SHRM student chapter members embody the upcoming cohort of HR trailblazers, and it's vital to highlight their achievements.”, said Michael P. Aitken, SHRM chief membership officer. “The dedication displayed by the Youngstown State University Chapter underscores that the future of the profession is in good hands. I commend their achievements and their adeptness in cultivating inventive initiatives, growth, and enthusiasm for HR, especially as we steer through evolving work landscapes."