Class of 2023: Caitlin Croston

Human resources and classical music mix for College of Business graduate

Caitlin Croston will be the student speaker at the Spring 2023 College of Business Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 5, at 6 p.m. in the James A. Rhodes Arena. She graduates with an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources Management and minors in psychology and information systems. Caitlin will begin her career at Textron Systems in Maryland and plans to earn a Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology after she begins her new position.

Q: Why did you want to go to UA?

A: I was always open to going to an out-of-state college. UA quickly rose to the top of my list with the career readiness resources available to students, supportive professors and faculty members, merit-based financial aid and the extracurricular activities in which I could see myself getting involved.

Q: What campus activities were you involved in?

A: There are too many to list! But the most notable would be The Society for Human Resources Management (president), Emerging Leaders Program (ambassador and graduate), College of Business Dean’s Team (senior Dean’s Team member), Beta Gamma Sigma international business honor society (vice president of recruitment) and The University of Akron Symphony Orchestra (principal cellist).

Q: What campus honors or awards have you received?

A: I am most proud of being recognized as the top human resources management graduate, receiving a Williams Honors College Award of Distinction, receiving 19 merit-based scholarships over my four years at UA, and earning spots on the President’s List five times and the Dean’s List two times.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: After graduation, I will move to Maryland to work for Textron Systems in its Human Resources Development Program. I will also take the Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam. I plan to further my education by obtaining a Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology after working for a few years.

Q: What is your favorite memory of UA?

A: Under my leadership as president of UA’s Society for Human Resource Management (UA SHRM), the College of Business hosted the Ohio HR Games, a jeopardy-style competition for HR, open to all schools in Ohio. My team made it to the final rounds ahead of all the other schools in terms of points, but in the last round, points earned prior were not considered. We were neck-and-neck with the other team until the very last question, when I chose to go all-in and select the highest point value question available on the board. When the question was read, my teammate buzzed in, delivered her response and secured us the win. The explosion of cheers from my team, our faculty advisor and the volunteers watching the final round was so fulfilling—as was receiving that first-place plaque with our names on it a few weeks later!

Q: What unique things should we know about you?

A: I am a cellist. Through my involvement in a youth orchestra in high school, I traveled to Prague, Vienna and Budapest for a 10-day orchestral tour, where we gave four performances, one of which was at the world-famous Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall.