Master of Human Resources Students Place as Finalists in Statewide Competition

Four members of the Master of Human Resources (MHR) program recently competed as finalists in the statewide Florida HR Graduate Human Resources Case Competition. Advised by business professor Kip Kiefer, the team consisted of Kelly Bhakta, Laurilyn Cook-Arrington, Yuliia Lutsenko, and Jessica Wensel.

The team competed with four other Florida schools in the finals of the competition. Teams were tasked to analyze a business case and generate solutions to solve the firm’s challenges. Over the course of several weeks, the Rollins MHR team prepared several documents, including an executive summary and survey, and performed a live, in-person presentation at the HR Florida Leadership Conference in Bonnet Creek, Florida. A panel of business professionals judged the competition.

“This experience gave my teammates and me an opportunity to enhance our leadership, collaboration, and presentation skills,” says Wensel, who served as team captain. “It also reinforced the need to look at all aspects of a situation, not just what you see on the surface, especially when approaching HR issues.”

She explained that the experience afforded the team an opportunity to apply the knowledge they have been learning in the MHR program in a very practical way, preparing them for issues that they will face in an HR leadership role. Wensel adds that “the most enjoyable thing of all was meeting and working with like-minded individuals and fostering a sense of community within the team and others in the HR field attending the competition and the conference.”