Campus Services selected three Student Spotlights for Fall Semester 2017. Let us introduce you to Erin Rodenroth, an employee in our Human Resources (HR) department.

Bethany Schuster, Human Resources Communications Officer, described Erin:

Like many Georgia Tech students, Erin is ridiculously bright. She researches every problem carefully before coming to talk to me. But above all, Erin is a superior Campus Services employee because she acts like a part of our team. She let me lean on her when it was just me and consistently lets me pick her brain and brainstorm ideas. Erin owns her job in HR. She’ll even message me at midnight with an idea for the website she just needed to get down. She prioritizes her work and never hesitates to move a project forward — even when I feel like I’ve hit a dead end.

Erin is an extremely hard worker and trustworthy. Never once has she failed to submit a project or complete an assignment.

Erin helped me get through a very long nine months when I was a one-man-show sandwiched between closing up a year-long federal mandate implementation and preparing for a system-wide administration change. Along the way, she reminded me just how much I love my job and my department.

We learned more about this remarkable employee.

• Position at Campus Services Department
  • Communications Assistant, Human Resources
• Major
  • Literature, Media, & Communication
• Year in School
  • 3rd year
• Hometown
  • Macon, Georgia
• How long have you worked in this position?
  • 7 months (April 2017)
• What are your duties?
  • Assisting in the redesign of the HR website, as well as making updates to it
  • Copyediting/proofreading documents, presentations, webpages
  • Creating graphics for web, print, & digital display platforms
• What do you like most about working in this position?
  • I love being able to work on the existing Human Resources website, constantly working through ways to improve the content & design while collaborating with my wonderful coworkers. I also love working on/completing projects throughout the year as many have been really enjoyable for me.
• How has this position helped you?
  • I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge on general human resources topics such as the plethora of employee benefits, how open enrollment works, HR-related events held each year, and many things specific to Georgia Tech employees. I also have learned how to effectively use the Georgia Tech brand guidelines for designing graphics and webpages.
• What have you learned working here?          
  • It has helped better prepare me for future positions, learning how to communicate with coworkers effectively, getting multiple projects done for specific deadlines, and most of all, it has taught me that human resources as a whole isn’t as boring as many would think. I’ve absolutely loved my time working at Georgia Tech Human Resources and it’s definitely been a highlight of my time at Georgia Tech.
•  Favorite Book?
  • Building Stories by Chris Ware
• Favorite Restaurant/Food?
  • Chick-fil-A or Trader Joe’s Macaroni and Cheese
• Favorite Spot on Campus?
  • Anywhere that’s quiet, specifically 3rd floor of Klaus or top floor of West Village at night (for the decent view of the Atlanta skyline).
• Favorite Quotes?
  • Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. -John Lennon
• What do you like to do on the weekends?
  • Play video games and sleep.
• Who is your favorite professor and why?
  • Jay Telotte, an LMC professor. I’m currently taking Animation with him, and I’ve never met a professor who was more passionate about the subject being taught. He knows so much about the history of film animation and I’ve learned so much in his class through his abundance of knowledge.
• What is your favorite class and why?
  • LMC 2720, Principles of Visual Design or LMC 2700, Intro to Computational Media. Both classes were heavily project based, requiring a lot of thought and creativity with anything made. I was able to leave both classes with a lot of completed projects, many being super fun (though time-consuming) to come up with. I also learned how to use different programs when creating many of these projects, which has been helpful for classes taken after those.
• Tell us about some organizations you’re involved with on campus.
  • I’m in Grand Challenges, the Georgia Tech Chorale, and involved with outreach for RoboJackets.
• What advice do you have for incoming students?
  • Don’t wait until the last minute to get help. If you’re struggling with a concept or with a class as whole, reach out to your professor, go to office hours, etc. before it’s too late. I learned this the hard way during my second semester, constantly telling myself that I’d eventually get concepts (that I never understood later on either).
• What would people be surprised to know about you?
  • I was born with Situs Inversus Totalis, meaning all my organs from my neck to my waist are on opposite sides from where they are typically found (for example, my heart is on the right side instead of the left).
• Favorite TV show?
  • I’m currently really into Riverdale, but my all-time favorite show would be The Office.
• What will you miss most about Tech after graduation?
  • I’ll miss the many people I’ve met over the years and many of the great professors I’ve had throughout my time here.
• What are your plans after graduation?
  • I hope to have a job in a field related to my degree, whether it be in Atlanta or somewhere out of state.