Winter 20201 Maize & Blue Recipient

ALEXIS MENARD (BBA, 2021)

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my degree until I was offered a job in the HR office on-campus my first semester. From there, I knew I wanted to study business and decided to branch out with all the opportunities the campus offers. I added a marketing major after my first HR internship with Michigan HR Day and found that having marketing knowledge is crucial when trying to attract new talent in a dynamic and diverse work environment. Soon I fell in love with the culture of UM-Flint and downtown. I knew I wanted to be a differencemaker on-campus, and that has slowly evolved over my five years of education. I have had a lot of opportunities I never would have expected, such as entrepreneurial scholarships and a chance to work for the Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation promoting Zillion Solutions, being a peer mentor for the Success Mentorship Program, a student ambassador for 2021 Giving Blueday, and being on the Commencement Mural Planning Committee. Since I was a sophomore, I’ve been a student employee for SOM, and I was responsible for running their social media, promoting events, and managing their website. This was an incredible experience, and I was able to meet so many like-minded students and alumni! I was also able to serve as the President of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for two years. This was the most important thing I have done to impact myself and other students. My position at SHRM has enabled me to help students by providing free professional development and career resources to all UM-Flint students. I am tremendously fortunate to have had these opportunities of being a student leader to impact the lives of students and broaden my horizons to learn the necessary skills for my career. In April, SHRM also won the Outstanding Student Organization at UM-Flint, and I couldn’t be more proud of my faculty advisors, officers, and members for being so awesome willing to go outside of their comfort zone this past year. Most importantly, I was able to meet passionate individuals and lifelong friends, as well as make connections with the outstanding staff and faculty that have guided me to where I am today. I was able to figure out who I was as a person and learn from great mentors and my peers. I couldn’t have made it to where I am today without their support. I will always carry a piece of UM-Flint in my heart as I remember my humble roots as an unsure, apprehensive student and the struggles I have overcome. I’m proud to be a #umflintgrad! Go Blue!