A few years ago, Sudbury, Ontario native Mary Beswick wouldn’t have anticipated she would be living in balmy Chapel Hill North Carolina, working as a Human Resources specialist at a prestigious post-secondary institution. This past July however, Beswick received a promotion to the position of Employment Consultant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has just created a robust new employee orientation program with her colleagues. Beswick credits these exciting developments in her career, in part, to her completion of the Master of Education in Adult Education at Yorkville University in 2016. Beswick’s MEd. in Adult Education not only gave her the accreditation necessary to advance in her career, but the practical skills required to develop a reputation for being an authority in her area of expertise.
“I have a bachelor in psychology,” said Beswick. “But initially I didn’t know where I was going to go in terms of graduate school. I sort of fell into the educational realm, but I didn’t have much background in adult education, so I started looking for a Master’s program.” Beswick chose Yorkville University’s MEd. because it is uniquely focused on Adult Education, and because of its flexible delivery. When her husband got a job in North Carolina, Beswick was able to continue with her Yorkville education when they moved. Soon after their relocation, Beswick became pregnant.
” [Yorkville University] is such a supportive school—all the teachers are so supportive—and the fact that it’s online means you can set aside time for it…but the question is, what are your priorities? Getting a Masters degree, or having a social life?” Beswick laughed. “The point I’m trying to make is that you really have to want to be getting your education, you have to really want to focus on that, otherwise I can see someone getting lost.”
After seeking permanent residency in the US in 2014, Beswick found her current position, in which she is excelling. “Along with my team in Organizational Development and Learning, we have spent the last year enhancing our new employee orientation program, bringing it from being a fairly formal, dry, didactic session, to an engaging, interactive, relevant workshop for new employees, with a focus on creating an inclusive, exciting environment,” said Beswick.
“This role really compliments my MEd. and HR experience. I’m not only the subject-matter expert in these training programs, I’m also able to develop and create these programs due to my masters.”
Beswick is now looking at possibly completing a doctorate in workforce engagement and education. “I’m really excited to be connecting human resources and education at a higher level.”
