One Student’s Enduring Commitment to HR

Ishita Trikha (M.S. ’20), a recent graduate of the Human Resources Management and Labor Relations, M.S. program, received the 2021 New York City Society for Human Resource Management (NYC-SHRM) Sherman Award.

Each year, the $1,000 scholarship is offered to one New York City student at the undergraduate or graduate level, honoring that individual for being the most active and supportive participant of their SHRM student chapter as well as an NYC-SHRM student member. Trikha, who served as the president of New York Tech’s SHRM chapter, is the university’s sixth recipient of the award since 2010.

“Ishita is highly committed to her career in human resources (HR), and she has a very strong record of dedicated service to the profession,” said William Ninehan, Ed.S., director of human resource studies and chapter advisor who nominated her for the award. “As an international student, there are many barriers to obtaining internships in the HR field; however, Ishita persevered and interned for two semesters on a pro bono basis at the Child Center of New York. Starting months before graduation, she networked tirelessly and attended many career and other events, and was recently hired for an HR role at Goodwill Industries of New York. This is a full-time job, which is rare for a recently graduated international student in a non-STEM field.”

Trikha graduated from New York Tech in December 2020 with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Before attending the institution, she earned a Human Resources, M.B.A. with a minor in finance from Apeejay School of Management in Delhi, India. For the following six years, Trikha worked in three different professional positions, where she had responsibilities for HR systems, projects, metrics and analytics, and performance management systems. “She could have comfortably continued in those roles but, instead, she decided to broaden her knowledge and skills, as well as her global perspective, by coming to the United States and undertaking a second graduate program in the more strategic aspects of HR,” said Ninehan.

NYC-SHRM was founded in 1948 and aims to be the preeminent New York City professional human resources association, connecting and advancing practitioners, businesses, educators, students, and related providers. The organization provides networking events, programming on relevant and emerging HR topics, and professional development opportunities. The New York Tech SHRM chapter offers students opportunities to meet and network with practicing HR professionals at its monthly general meetings and conferences. The chapter also works on projects that benefit the local community, including a Veterans Day event with IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) and offers networking training for job seekers at Hempstead Works on Long Island.