As Naila Teliz sat with her advisors, she filled out a questionnaire to help her better understand her interests. Until that moment, she had struggled to decide what she wanted to do as a future career.
“I was really trapped and had no idea where I was going,” she admits. “I just knew that I wanted to work with people.”
As they reviewed her survey answers, themes began to emerge. Leadership and management were at the top of the list.
Her advisor talked to her about programs designed to help students learn to lead, regardless of where their careers take them.
In O’Neill’s Community and Organizational Leadership Studies program, Teliz dove into learning about the theories and types of leadership and how to be a resource for others. As she made her way through the program, she found a home in the human resource management field.
“I have found that I really do enjoy working with people, and that’s what I want to do—I’ve loved it so far,” she says. “This program really challenged what I already knew as a leader. Rather than having an expectation of people, I now have an open mind so I can dig into what makes each employee different.”
After completing her degree in December 2024, Teliz became the first student to earn the Community and Organizational Leadership Studies degree through O’Neill at IU Indianapolis. It’s an accomplishment that didn’t come easily.
“In order to be the first O’Neill graduate, I had to really push myself,” she says. “The average student takes about 16 credits. I was taking 21 in my last semester all while I also was working.”
She says the COLS degree and her Human Resources Management minor are already paying off in her new job search.
“I was struggling to get my foot in the door, but this degree really opened the door for me to actually secure interviews,” she says.
Past alumni of the program can vouch for that. Tyler Rawles and Kathleen Armbruster both now work in talent acquisition and say they’ve seen the difference this degree makes in their professional journeys.
“Degrees do open doors for you,” Armbruster says. “They add to your brand and give you a level of credibility.”
She says her degree made her a more competitive candidate, directly impacting her ability to advance. She had entered the workforce straight out of high school and was working in an HR position but couldn’t seem to climb any higher. She soon realized the missing piece of the puzzle.
“I saw how valuable a degree could be when working in a large corporation,” she recalls. “I needed to get a bachelor’s degree, and this course of study gave me a path to do that.”
Because she was working while taking classes, Armbruster was able to watch her learnings play out in her professional career and bring those examples into the classroom.
“What I saw in real life was being taught in the classroom,” she says. “That has given me a lot of confidence moving through my career now because it reaffirmed what I saw on the job.”
She says the direct link between the classroom and the workplace is one of the unique aspects of this degree. Not only does it help traditional students like Taliz start their careers, but it also helps those already working advance in theirs.
“This degree will help people who are established in their careers learn how to improve what they’re already doing and apply those lesson in multiple settings,” she stresses.
Like Armbruster, Rawles also was well into his career before he began his degree. But as a military veteran moving into a human resources career, the transition from soldier to employee was not an easy one to make.
“Military service can be discounted sometimes,” he explains. “You have to be a very good salesperson to get into certain roles. I had been applying to a lot of places, but I was missing my degree. That was one of the things holding me back.”
For Rawles, the program’s schedule flexibility allowed him to continue working and focusing on his family, while still earning his degree. It also was more accepting of transfer credits and taking a holistic approach to which courses were required.
“I was appreciative that they took into consideration not only academic experience, but some of my working career,” he says. “That helped save time as I was pursuing my degree.”
That saved time meant he could start applying what he had learned sooner. In his work, Rawles said he had to navigate a challenging transitional period within his organization, but the training he received helped him influence organizational culture in a positive way
“This program really helped me navigate complex organizational changes,” he says. “The skills I learned are just as significant for anyone looking to progress in their career, whether you’re wanting to become a manager, work in human resources, or are an engineer. Knowing how to lead is crucial, and this program taught me that anyone can learn to be a leader.”
Teliz says that’s something that will benefit anyone throughout their career.
“O’Neill’s CLS major is universal in the sense that anyone can find their own place within it,” she says.
And for many students—traditional and nontraditional alike—being able to forge their own path with a diverse degree can make all the difference.
“I just I went for it, and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life,” Armbruster adds. “It’s had a very profound impact on me, and I’m very proud to have gone through the program.
