In April, we celebrate Administrative Professionals. The Executive Liaisons. The Office Manager. The Mama and Papa Bears of the office. The latter is an endearing and suitable term. Why?  Because the range of support by an administrative professional goes from one extreme to another on any given day.

Contributed by Kyle Schamberger, HR MAP.  I recently returned to work full-time as an HR Management Associate after spending last summer being a MAP intern.

The HR Management Associate Program

The MAP is a program comprised of 3 rotations in various Human Resources (HR) disciplines and 2 more in a business area outside of HR. I worked on a project within HP’s Talent & Learning organization, which handles everything from instructional learning design and management of our HP Brain Candy social learning platform to talent and performance management.

Life is an incredible journey. Every day is a beautiful gift and an opportunity to make a positive difference. I learned this at an early age watching how hard my mom, Sharon, worked to make sure we had the best life possible. At times, she worked multiple jobs so that we had all that we needed. As I grew up, her work ethic helped to create and influence my own. She showed me that anything is possible, even in the midst of adversity. During the most difficult times, you can and will survive.

Two years ago, Sharon was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was in perfect health and had absolutely no symptoms, but a newly developed test found a tennis ball-sized mass in her lung. The oncologist estimated it had been there for six to eight years.

Ever wish you had a job that gives you the opportunity to learn or experience something new every day about your work, your company, or even about yourself?

This is exactly what excites Shandra Scott about her job at HP, where she serves as Chief of Staff to the Chief HR Officer, Tracy Keogh, supporting and executing her global vision for human resources.

“Every day feels like I’m kind of exploring new areas and pushing and challenging myself instead of feeling as though I’m working with people who are just dictating what I should be doing. It really creates this environment for thinking about new ideas and working collaboratively with other teams.”