Bel Campos on Her CUPA-HR Wildfire Program Experience – Career Growth, Professional Development and Lifelong Friends
February 10, 2016

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be profiling this year’s six CUPA-HR Wildfire participants and hearing their stories firsthand. We hope you enjoy getting to know this dynamic group, as we have over the past few months — we think they’re destined for greatness, both in their careers and in CUPA-HR! 

We’ve already met Sarah Deitz and Alisha Arnold. Here, we’ll meet Bel Campos, as she tells us in her own words about her Wildfire journey.

I’m Wildfire participant Bel Campos, talent management specialist at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. I have worked at Quinnipiac University for four and a half years in several different roles.

My first exposure to the world of HR was through a college practicum in a training and development function. After that, I landed at a nonprofit organization, where I served in an employment specialist role. When the door opened to an opportunity in higher education, I jumped at the chance. I worked in financial aid for five years before moving into HR. And I absolutely fell in love with working in higher education!

I was working hard and learning lots on the job, but with my busy life, my professional development had taken a back seat. When I heard about the CUPA-HR Wildfire program, I was excited and eager for an opportunity to participate. Upon reading about all that the program has to offer — access to leaders in higher ed HR, monthly “topic of interest” calls with subject matter experts, the opportunity to attend the CUPA-HR annual conference and to “shadow” a higher ed HR leader — I applied, as this was definitely an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! As an early-career professional, I knew there were areas in which I could improve, and I truly wanted to grow and be an asset to my human resources department.

The Wildfire program has enabled me to gain a new perspective in understanding all that human resources can contribute to the today and the tomorrow of the institution. One component of the program that really made an impact and left an imprint on me was the diversity workshop at last fall’s annual conference. Not only did I learn about promising and innovative DEI practices and programs being implemented at other institutions, but I was also personally enriched with the open dialogue on culture and life experiences that we as professionals and human beings live and face daily in and out of work. It was so motivating and inspiring, and I left the session with a new vision, a sense of renewal and encouragement to think outside the box.

The Wildfire experience has been an incredible opportunity for career growth and professional connections, and it has helped me define my career goals. I can’t begin to express my gratitude to the CUPA HR leaders, my Wildfire guide and most importantly my Wildfire cohort who have been a support to me and will be lifelong friends. I am eager for the remaining months and the learning moments to come!