Welcome Back and Meet the New VUSHRM Officers! | #VillanovaHRDStory

We want to welcome everyone back to what will be another great year at Villanova! Fall seems to arrive quicker every year, but, despite the dwindling of beach days and (soon to be) cooler weather, we have some fun upcoming fall events for everyone to partake in! In this post, we will introduce the new Villanova HRD Graduate Assistants and the VU SHRM Board. In the future, there will be plenty of blog posts with interesting stories, posts from different faculty and professors, updates on our podcast, HR Tea, and more! We are so excited for this year and to see everyone's faces in-person once again.

First, meet our VUSHRM Board Members and Villanova HRD Graduate Assistants: Jen, Tiana, Katia, Ayushi. Here are their VillanovaHRD Stories, #VillanovaHRDStory!

JENNIFER CASALINO | PRESIDENT

Hi everyone, I'm Jen! I am from Clark, NJ and I am a first year student in the HRD program.

I am also a Graduate Assistant for the Villanova HRD department. I recently graduated from Villanova with a major in Economics and Minors in Communication and Spanish. My interest in HR began back in March, 2020 when, like many others, I had more time during quarantine to really think about my future and what I want in a career. HR has so many different directions one can take, and that ability to be constantly changing and challenging myself is what drew me to HR and to this program here at Villanova. I am so excited to begin pursuing my Master's here at Villanova and exploring all that HR has to offer!

TIANA DRAKE | DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Hello everyone, I'm Tiana!

I'm from a small town in Pennsylvania called Lincoln University, and I am a first-year student and Graduate Assistant in the HRD program. I recently graduated from West Chester University with a major in Psychology where I participated in an Industrial-Organizational Psychology lab for two years. I am so excited to begin my Master's here at Villanova and be a part of the HRD program. I can't wait to dive into all that HR has to offer!

KATIA RUBANZANA UMUTONI | DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Hi everyone! My name is Katia, and I am from Kigali, Rwanda.

I am a first-year graduate student and a Graduate Assistant in the HRD program. I graduated from Dickinson College with a Psychology major and Africana Studies minor. Before coming to Villanova for my master's, I worked in Rwanda for an HR consultancy firm on their talent acquisition team doing recruitment. During my work there I developed a passion for HR and grew an interest in how to successfully manage talent in line with an organization's goals. I am excited about being part of the HRD program and cannot wait to further my knowledge in HR.

AYUSHI GOYAL | DIRECTOR OF CHAPTER OPERATIONS

Hello everybody! My name is Ayushi Goyal. I am originally from India but was raised in Nepal. I did my undergraduate studies (Bachelor in Business Administration) at Kathmandu University, Nepal, where I majored in Finance. Currently, I am a first-year graduate student at Villanova and a Graduate Assistant in the HRD program. I am thrilled to explore the different facets of Human Resources and become a well-rounded HR professional.

JENNIE KILLEBREW | VUSHRM ADVISOR

Hi! I am originally from Birmingham, AL where I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 2017 with a B.S. in Psychology. I lived in Atlanta, GA for two years post-undergrad and worked in multiple sectors including sales, accounting, and hospitality. I kept drifting towards the HR professionals at these organizations and finally decided to join the field after learning about the rewards/challenges of HR. I love living in Philadelphia and being able to experience a new part of the country with my fiancé and my dog. Now that I have graduated from the Villanova HRD program, I work full-time as an HR Assistant in Talent Management for Fox Rothschild LLP.

Thank you to these students and alumni for their service to the Villanova HRD program and VUSHRM! #VillanovaHRD #VillanovaHRDStory