Commuter stays active on campus while keeping an eye on a future in human resources

After high school, Morgan Hoak ’20 wanted to get away for college. Her family, though, urged her to check out York College of Pennsylvania, which was only about 30 minutes from her home in East Berlin, Adams County. She ended up enrolling, thinking she’d transfer out after a year.

When she arrived, though, everything changed. “I really liked all the opportunities available,” she says. “Your professors know you, and it’s easy to get involved.”

Today, Morgan’s a senior majoring in Human Resource Management. As a commuter, she manages to stay active on campus. She’s in the Academic Advising Center, working with undeclared students to help them figure out what they might want to major in. She’s an Executive Co-Chair for the Campus Activities Board (CAB), planning bingo, trivia contests, and escape room adventures as she learns about contracting.

She’s also a Student Alumni Ambassador, one of a group that keeps graduates involved with the College as the students make important connections. And recently, she was nominated to the Women’s Business Center, where she will plan events.

Switching majors

Initially, Morgan majored in Psychology and chose HR as a minor, thinking it provided “good security.” Then, in a Principles of Management class assignment, she interviewed a human resources director. “I thought it would be really boring, but she had so much to talk about,” Morgan says. “I thought it would be really interesting for balancing working with math and business and working with people.”

In her third semester, she switched her major to Human Resource Management, adding Finance as a second minor along with Psychology. “Human resources is becoming a strategic partner and a participant in organizational planning,” she says. “There are so many directions you can go with it.”

Morgan started down the path toward business studies in high school, taking statistics, accounting, and economics. Her most helpful college courses include Employment Law, Organizational Behavior, and Recruiting and Selection.

She has completed an HR internship with Martin Foot and Ankle physicians. In the spring, she will work with the York chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and will also study compensation and benefits with WellSpan Health.

Wide-ranging possibilities

While her focus is human resources, Morgan is passionate about sustainability. In the Constellation program, in which students “explore a little more” by taking four upper-level courses on a single topic, she’s studying environmental sustainability.

During a 10-day trip to Costa Rica, she and eight fellow students visited hot springs, hiked, and encountered an array of animals. “It was an incredible experience,” she says.

That passion might figure in to her career plans. “I’ve taken Psychology, Sociology, and Environmental Economics,” she says. “I would like to apply my passion for those things with my passion for working with people. I could see being a sustainability director, but that’s long-term. At this point, I’m trying to see what’s out there and see where a master’s would lead me.”