This summer, two recent Missouri Southern graduates—April Black and Emily Studer ‘24—were awarded the inaugural Missouri State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (MO-SHRM) Conference Scholarship. They are the only students in the state to receive this award.
MO-SHRM hosts an annual conference in Lake of the Ozarks for HR students and professionals to network and attend panels discussions on HR practices and the future of the field. This year, the event takes place from August 6-9.
The scholarship—a collective effort of the MO-SHRM college relations directors—will offset the cost of attending the conference. Dr. Sarah Holtzen, MSSU assistant professor of management and director of college relations of Tri-State Human Resource Association, the Joplin affiliate of MO-SHRM, was on the statewide committee that created the scholarship. The marketing materials announcing the scholarship were a collaborative effort spearheaded by recent MSSU graduates Makinna Loftis, ‘23, Patience Thompson, Isabella Zepeda, and Alyssa Barker, ‘24, as well as senior human resource management major Allison Tillman. These materials were distributed statewide on social media when MO-SHRM implemented the scholarship this year.
“As students quickly learn post-graduation, conferences are one of the best professional development tools available for socializing into a new career,” said Holtzen. “By receiving this scholarship, April and Emily can further their HR careers without worrying about the financial burden of conference registration and hotel costs.”
April Black, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in human resource management, was a three-year recipient of Project Stay. She was named the HR Outstanding Graduate and winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award. She was heavily involved in the SHRM student chapter on campus, even coordinating this spring’s student networking event for the human resource management program. Black is also currently serving on the board of directors for the Tri-State Human Resource Association as the co-chair for their IE&D portion. A first-generation and non-traditional student from Chetopa, KS, Black found support through Project Stay and MSSU professors to help her achieve her goals.
“I am so glad that I have a school and professors that truly care about my well-being and future success, like Dr. Holtzen. I have never been more honored or acquainted with a professor who has so much passion and drive for her students,” said Black. “The conference will allow me to step outside of my comfort zone and give me the opportunity to discover new things about myself and career goals. I am looking forward to meeting new people who also thrive with positivity and a love for all things HR.”
Emily Studer—a non-traditional student from Topeka, KS—earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double emphasis in human resource management, while working full time. She knew she wanted to pursue a degree in HR after working in the HR department for a global company for three years.
“I learned that providing excellent HR support to businesses is invaluable, and as a people person, I loved serving the company in this way,” said Studer. “Once I decided to complete my degree, HR was a clear top choice.”
Taking both in-person and online classes, Studer found that her educational structure at MSSU aligned well with the modern workplace and the faculty and staff were accessible and engaging. She even participated in SHRM in a hybrid capacity. While at MSSU Studer participated in two workplace-learning projects: an onboarding project at Lay-Z-Boy in Neosho as well as developing recommendations for a compensation survey for the City of Joplin.
“It is truly an honor to receive the MO-SHRM scholarship,” said Studer. “I’m looking forward to making connections and hearing how others support their companies. The conference is jam-packed with amazing workshops. The only downside will be choosing which ones I can’t attend during concurrent sessions.”
Holtzen, who taught both Black and Studer, commended them for their success.
“April is a great role model for our students, and Emily has produced incredible work,” she said. “Our students continue to amaze me. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.”
