Originally from San Francisco, California, Sydney DeVor is a junior at Cornell University pursuing a major in industrial relations with a minor in history. With aspirations to attend law school, Sydney comments that her decision to major in industrial relations is because of the major’s ability to allow students to explore various fields related to sports law, management, human resources and business. In addition to her major, her passion and enjoyment for history lead her to minor.
Sydney is interested in attending law school in the future and work in sports law.
She realizes that the field of law is male dominant but is interested in breaking those barriers if she decides to pursue law. For now, she is taking her time to explore fields that interest her, such as human resources. Sydney explains that one of the reasons why she was drawn to human resources was because of one of her core classes at Cornell in Human Resource management. She felt that it was a balance between labor and management. From this experience, she saw the opportunity to change organizations from within by working in human resources.
Growing up with a father who was a Navy Veteran and her growing interest in HR management, Sydney applied to DME’s Human Resources internship position. She wants to use her time at the internship as a learning opportunity to see how HR is done in practice and help narrow down her career interests. Currently, one of the projects she is working on is setting up mock interviews for students to practice their interview skills. She makes sure to ask which position other interns are applying for and assists in tailoring the interview to type of application.
When asked how she juggles her responsibilities as a full-time student and intern, she stresses the importance of prioritizing work and creating schedules that maximize her work efficiency, but at the same allow her to have some free time on the weekend to relax and play soccer. She adds, “Doing this internship is giving me valuable experience in what I don’t like and what I do like and teaches me to manage my time more efficiently.”
Her advice for prospective interns applying for a position in the DME Human Resources department is to focus on the personal statement section of the application. She says, “Make sure to connect what you are studying, or your past experiences, to this internship and show how your skills can apply here. Also make sure to write what you want to gain through this internship and what you are looking to do after. Show them how you are the right choice for this position”.
Writer: Elizabeth Jefimova
Editor: Cassidy Reid and Katie Wang
Graphic Designer: Helena Strohmier
