Career Pathways Virtual Trailheads – Rebecca Francis – Human Resources Consultant
Originally launched during the COVID-19 Pandemic when students could not engage in face-to-face or on-site work-based learning experiences, the Career Pathways Virtual Trailheads video series brings people from a wide range of occupations to students remotely to learn about their careers and the competencies necessary for success.
In this Career Pathways Virtual Trailheads episode, we interview we interview Rebecca Francis, a human resources consultant and entrepreneur with Ignite Change Solutions.
After graduating from Winnebago High School, Rebecca attended Alabama A&M. After taking time off of school to work full-time and care for her daughter, Rebecca later returned to college to finish her Bachelor’s Degree. She continued with her studies to obtain her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University. Rebecca completed her studies while working as the Operations Manager of a charter school. Through this work, Rebecca was responsible for marketing, operations, and management of the school, and this experience helped Rebecca discover her passion for human resources. This led Rebecca to begin her consulting company, Ignite Change Solutions. Ignite Change Solutions specializes in assisting organizations to identify barriers and create solutions for more equitable workplaces. She has worked with educational institutions, government agencies, and corporations.
Rebecca’s work as a human resources consultant is part of the Finance and Business Services and, in this case, the Human and Public Services Career Pathways.
In this episode, Rebecca shares her journey to becoming a human resource consultant, the tenacity needed to be successful in this career pathway, some of the advantages of being a black woman in the industry, and her desire to inspire others to go into the field and entrepreneurship. She talks about the importance of having a growth mindset, overcoming failures, the value of communication skills, and always self-reflecting.
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