Semester Update from CSUSM’s SHRM Chapter

Semester Update from CSUSM's SHRM Chapter

by Sabrina Meleka, CSUSM SHRM Co-President

            Hi SD SHRM members! My name is Sabrina Meleka and I’m the Co-President of CSUSM’s SHRM chapter. We’ve just finished up a phenomenal semester and I’m excited to share some key events with you all! To kick off the semester, we focused on student-to-student networking through the use of Zoom breakout rooms and general introductions. These introductory events served as great opportunities to meet fellow HR students, form study groups, and much more! As the semester progressed, we had the good fortune to hear from some amazing HR professionals. For example, SD SHRM’s very own Emily Mullin graciously presented to our society and informed us students on the great benefits of joining SD SHRM. As a result, we had some of our student members sign up to become SD SHRM members, which we are very excited about. Lastly, we recently hosted our very first alumni panel, which was a great success! Our alumni panel consisted of 4 previous CSUSM SHRM members who shared their experiences of transitioning from students to full-time HR professionals. Overall, we’re thankful to wrap up a meaningful semester with support of SD SHRM and CSUSM’s College of Business Administration. 

I will now be passing the blog over to Madison and Charlease, both of whom are CSUSM SHRM officers who will soon be transitioning into new roles. 

Hello SD SHRM members, my name is Madison Farfan and I will be the incoming Co-President for the SHRM Chapter at California State University San Marcos. Over the past few weeks, I have been transitioning out of my role of Vice President and familiarizing myself with the roles and responsibilities of the Co-President position. My goal for next semester is to participate in more outreach programs and events to target the incoming freshman. The society will continue to grow if we attract and retain younger members who will hopefully take on leadership roles in the future. Since our Fall 2021 meetings will still be held virtually, my other goal is to keep engagement high. I hope to continue our incentive program by raffling off gift cards and partnering with HR Management professors who agree to offer their students extra credit for attending our meetings. 

When I first became a member of CSUSM SHRM, I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone, afraid to ask questions, and had low self-confidence. When the opportunity opened up for the secretary position for SHRM, I told myself that if I want to succeed and grow into the person I want to become, I needed to apply for the position. Once I got the position, I could see the small growth that was happening. Once the vice president position opened, the feelings came up if I was qualified enough for the position but decided to pursue to step out of my comfort zone once again. Once I got the position, I was confronting the fears that were holding me back. Being part of CSUSM SHRM has opened opportunities I never thought would happen. CSUSM SHRM help me realize what I want to pursue as a career and opened my eyes to other opportunities ahead of me.