Talisha Williams Crooks was born and raised in Connecticut. After graduating from undergrad in 1997, she joined the United States Army, and now reside in Georgia. Upon leaving the military she entered the field of Human Resources and have been in the industry since 2002. She met my husband of 22 years in the military and she is the mother of two sons.  She considers herself a life long learner and have already obtained two graduate degrees thus far. She decided to enroll in the MJ-LEL program to gain“certified” legal knowledge in Labor and Employment Law. "This program has enlightened me a great deal. I was confident about what I knew before this program, but I am more confident in what I’ve learned thus far, and I am certain that it will serve me well."  And so her advice?

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'Hello incoming class! First let me congratulate you on beginning the MJ-LEL program at Tulane.  You are definitely going to learn a great deal from this program. I know many of you are in pursuit of this program for a variety of reasons, and I would like to direct my feedback to the HR professionals who are enrolled. The one thing I want to focus on is understanding the "facts of the law".

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In our industry, depending on how you entered into HR, whether it was directly after college upon completion of a human resources degree, please understand that what you learned in that program will be in no way comparable to what you will learn in the MJ program. You will add to your knowledge of the business practice with another key layer: the law.  In HR, we are governed by laws, policies and practices. Policies can be rewritten and practices can change. Here we learn to contextualize policies within the law itself. You learn how to read, interpret and research the law, and how it is used as the foundation in the courts. Bringing that back to the everyday helps you understand compliance and implementation of policies and practices, like when a company faces discrimination claims. You see the whole picture and understand.

Good luck to you all!"

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 MJ-LEL Capstone © 2022 by Jessica Finnegan is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

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Looking Back by Erika Flory

Erika is from Lafayette, Louisiana, and is currently completing her second masters program. She has worked in health care and education as an HR professional, and is currently an Executive Recruiter for a charter school.  

 

“Looking back from when I first started this program to where I am today with almost completing this program, I would recommend a few items when and if reentering into this program. 

 

1. The first thing I would recommend is to fully review the course and the way it is equipped. I had a few hiccups when reviewing courses and not realizing the amount of work it required to complete the course while balancing my personal life. For example, I was planning to take the negotiating class along with the sexual harassment class in which both classes involved a heavy amount of group work. This was a no go for me as I am in a position where I have to travel quite a bit for work and I could not devote my time in both courses.  I was able to drop one course and plan to take it the following semester. 

2. Another recommendation I would make would be to have time management with a core calendar. I quickly learned to use my calendar and to block hours of time to use to read and prepare for assignments for each course that I had to take. This has helped me tremendously. By having this visual on my calendar of seeing 2-3 hours blocked would in a way force me to complete my tasks understanding this time blocked is solely for class preparation.  

3. The third recommendation would be giving myself grace. With personal things that had come up, it was great to get reassurance from program administration  who helped me with the personal things that I endured. I would often be my hardest critic when I did not complete work on time and I have learned that if I try my best, then that's all that I can do to do well with this program.

 

Those last sentiments are so true.  We do care about each student, and we work with you when things come up.  That’s a perfect transition to Kimberly Green.

 

You’ve Got This by Kimberly Green

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“Expect life to get in the way! The most honest thing that I can say:  life will get in the way, and you will want to quit. You will want to quit often. Unfortunately, none of us have a crystal ball to see our life two years out. When you sign up for this program, so many things can happen. Don’t get me wrong, not everything that happens may be bad, but it will be involved. I faced tragedies like losing loved ones, which led to other issues. But I’ve also faced things like getting a new job, sending my son off to the Navy, and purchasing a new home. Life can be time consuming, and this program WILL be demanding. You will have to find a balance. If you have the luxury of a support system, use them. If you don’t, be sure to find a positive outlet to keep you motivated. Take time to breathe, and whatever you do… DON’T QUIT!”

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Al’s Advice by Allison Lessard

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“Lean in. Lean in to all of it and be open. When I started this program I was excited, nervous and slightly skeptical. Which... ironically is how I think I approach most things, but we don't have enough time for that. I truly thought I would learn what I needed to learn and be done, but I quickly realized that getting the most out of this program was being truly open to all that it has to offer. Connecting with classmates, engaging in online content for our program, and approaching assignments with 100% effort has completely changed my entire experience. Yes, it's cheesy, but if you do more than show-up you will get more than another degree.”

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