Savanna attended Ball State University, graduating in 2022 with a degree in Human Resource Management and a minor in psychology. She was in the Society of Human Resource Management Club, when Lexie Seward came and spoke about the Heritage Group. It immediately spiked her interest in the Heritage Group.
Savanna was guided to begin an exploratory internship in May of 2022 before she came on as a full-time employee. “Easing into it with an internship really helped me get comfortable and get to know a lot of people at the company without the pressure of a full-time job”.
Savanna started her internship with Emily Hamrick (VP of Total Awards) as a compensation intern. Her first responsibilities were to ensure that employees were being compensated appropriately, avoiding both overpayment and underpayment, which was achieved by assessing market values.
The internship provided Savanna with valuable experiences and helped her establish closer connections with the YP (Young professional) group, and managers. “I appreciated the patience of my colleagues and managers during my internship. I came in with limited knowledge about compensation, but it was an incredible learning opportunity for me, and I learned so much.
After a summer of internship, Savanna began a full-time job working in a rotational program within the HR department. “In HR there are various career paths to choose. With the rotational program I can explore opportunities such as total rewards, talent acquisition, as well as DEI. This rotational program has allowed me the opportunity to determine my passion and maximize my opportunity within the company”.
This summer (2023) Savanna picked up the additional role of being a mentor which she has loved. This experience has allowed her to make more connections with interns and cultivate her leadership skills.
Savanna implores future interns and YPO’s to explore many career opportunities if they have the chance to do so. The rotational role allows you to, “not feel the pressure of having to pick one thing and commit if you are not happy with it. I am so grateful I have been able to experience all these career paths.”
She reflects on one of her favorite memories being during her internship, where she was able to make close friendships with other interns. On her last week as an intern, Savannah and a couple of other interns made a PowerPoint, where everyone presented a different silly topic.
“My time at Heritage has been phenomenal. I question how I got so lucky. I was always scared that my first job out of college would be a horror story, but I have nothing but positive stories and experiences to share. I am so incredibly grateful to the Heritage group for an amazing internship, but also a wonderful start to my career.
Savanna speaks on The Heritage Group betting on her when she first began her internship. She had not chosen a specialty, and by giving her different opportunities and allowing her to explore, they knew that she would create value in whatever specialty she had passion for.
“Be passionate, go to as many events as you can, and make strong long-lasting connections with people.”