How a Kelley student found his passion in HR

For Jayce Everling, human resources is about putting the right people in the right jobs with the right tools and resources to succeed.

Jayce, BS’20, first encountered human resource management as a job option when he participated in a shadowing program during his senior year of high school. His dad introduced him to an employee at Hendricks Regional Health in Danville, and seeing her work in human resources affirmed this was the path that Jayce wanted to follow.

“I love people. I like to talk, and I’m very extroverted. My dad’s colleague thought because of these attributes, I’d be well-suited for human resources,” he said.

Since his first HR experience, Jayce has had multiple experiences in different parts of the profession. He’s had internships at Old Navy, the IUPUI Office of Student Employment and Lids Sports Group; his responsibilities have included recruiting, training, development and operations.

“The people I meet encourage me,” he explained.

Jayce is excited to see how companies plan for the future. He sees himself working in talent recruitment, training and development and eventually teaching other future human resource professionals.

“The new changes in talent systems allow you to be strategic in how you approach recruiting strategies and how you’re reaching out to people. That’s where I’ve had the most fun: brainstorming and finding new ways we can find talent,” said Jayce.

“The new changes in talent systems allow you to be strategic in how you approach recruiting strategies and how you’re reaching out to people. That’s where I’ve had the most fun: brainstorming and finding new ways we can find talent,” said Jayce.

“When I came to IUPUI, the campus felt huge and I didn’t know anyone,” he said.

Getting involved helped Jayce find his place at IUPUI and to discover new connections. This, he says, allowed him to grow both professionally and personally.

In addition to his work and internship experience, Jayce leads the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (Indy SHRM) at IUPUI, he is secretary of Kelley Indy Student Government and he works as an operations intern in the IUPUI Office of Student Employment. He is also a Kelley Ambassador, a small group leader for Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI and he serves as a marketing research assistant for marketing professor Sasha Fedorikhin. 

Jayce encourages other students to get connected and involved as much as possible. He says he sees these opportunities as a way for students to make IUPUI feel like home, build a strong network and gain experience that translates into job preparation.

“There are so many opportunities if you’re willing to step up and get involved,” he said.

And his involvement has paid off.

After years of being involved in the Indy SHRM club on campus, Jayce received a scholarship from Indy SHRM for his senior year. The organization hosts campus chapters to provide students with opportunities in networking, free workshops and speakers and other online resources such as private job boards.

“Indy SHRM brought the opportunity to our club. I was pleasantly surprised I was chosen because Indy SHRM serves six colleges in the area, so there were a lot of students applying.”

Jayce is looking forward to staying involved during his senior year. This is his first year living on campus, and he’s excited to stay connected to many of his professors.

“She doesn’t know this, but I call HR professor Liz Malatestinic my ‘school mom.’ She’s very important to me as a mentor: always encouraging me and sharing her experience. She cares about helping me find my way. She is an excellent professor.”

After graduation, Jayce will travel to Europe for a trip with his family before beginning full-time work. He plans to stay involved with Indy SHRM, to continue to network with his peers and instructors and to use his knowledge from Kelley to launch his human resource management career.