Discovering a Career Through Experiential Learning

As a human resource professional, Ashlyn Zatopek ’23 can change the trajectory of someone’s life with the extension of a job offer, a responsibility she does not take lightly.

Zatopek (formerly Zingelmann), an associate talent acquisition and university relations recruiter for Valero, is the metaphorical “front door of the company” since she is often the first person candidates meet.

“I really enjoy the full cycle of the recruiting process because I get to be that trusted partner between the business and the candidate,” Zatopek says. “I meet with the hiring managers to discover their needs, and then on the other side of things, I get to meet with a lot of candidates and be a resource for them.”

Zatopek’s journey with Valero and her interest in human resources began during her time as a student at Trinity University. A San Antonio native and graduate of Brandeis High School, Zatopek transferred to Trinity after one year at the University of North Texas. She was always impressed by Trinity’s academics, but Dylan Harrison '02, head women’s soccer coach, Spencer Valdespino, assistant women’s soccer coach, and the team sealed the deal.

“They just had such a good team environment. I could tell they were really close, which I valued. Between academics and soccer, Trinity had the full package,” Zatopek explains.

Knowing she wanted to study business but not exactly sure what area of it she was most passionate about, Zatopek enrolled in a "Management of Organizations" course taught by Yi Liu, Ph.D., SPHR, associate professor of business administration, during her first fall semester at Trinity.

“Through my conversations with Dr. Liu and the content of the class, I learned what HR professionals do and the different careers available,” Zatopek recalls. “I just fell in love with it and couldn’t think about anything else.”

One of the first graduates of Trinity’s human resource management degree program, Zatopek relished the interdisciplinary nature of the major and the invaluable professional experience and networking built into the degree program.

“I was blessed to learn from faculty who have unrivaled industry insight, like Dr. Scherer [SPHR, SHRM-SCP], Dr. Kosnik, and Dr. Van Eynde. Professor Barbara Bentley [SHRM-SCP], for example, is an amazing full-time HR professional who teaches as an adjunct professor at night. Her stories of what HR in the real world was like helped me picture a profession in HR,” Zatopek says. “I’ve gone back to Trinity a couple of times in the past year to present to classes, so it’s been really special to have those faculty relationships continue even after graduation.”

During the summer before her senior year, Zatopek gained real-world experience at Valero as a talent management intern, where she learned firsthand about the importance of data as it drives decision-making.

“The whole internship was extremely valuable. I loved every minute of it. It reaffirmed not only me wanting to be in HR, but also me wanting to work for Valero,” Zatopek says. “It was really cool to see work from business analytics classes in action in the internship, and it worked the other way around, too, because what I learned from that internship helped me in my classes my senior year.”

Trinity's Michael Neidorff School of Business (NSB) and Valero boast a dynamic partnership. Thanks to Valero’s generous support of the business analytics and human resource management programs within the AACSB accredited-NSB, students like Zatopek are able to take the SHRM-CP exam without bearing the full financial burden of exam preparation materials or fees. Plus, Trinity's hands-on approach to learning has led to a 100% certification rate on the exam, which includes students who took the exam in 2024.

To earn her degree in human resource management, Zatopek and her teammate Bailey Meyer ’23 had to take on the role of consultants for a small nonprofit organization that lacks full-time human resource management. They were paired with the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP), a nonprofit that provides recreational opportunities for individuals with medical conditions or disabilities and their siblings and respite care for family members. CAMP found itself in a unique situation with its workforce, with some administrative workers present full time and others seasonal for the summer months. CAMP’s leaders wanted to provide a recognition program for their employees, so Zatopek and Meyer conducted research, crafted solutions, and delivered comprehensive consulting reports along with implementation materials to CAMP.

One of the implementation materials created by Zatopeck and Meyer was the start statue recognition program. This program was based on an existing CAMP tradition where employees hold the closing ceremony for the day around a burning metal star; it was an honor to be the one who lit the fire. Zatopek and Meyer proposed setting up star statues that could be signed by employees with a certain number of years of service as a way to recognize their contribution to the nonprofit over the years.

“Their mark is truly on CAMP forever, so we were really proud of that. I think it bridged the gap between wanting to be remembered and being true to CAMP. We couldn’t manufacture culture. We wanted to reflect it,” Zatopek says.

Now, Zatopek is excited to be part of the process of welcoming new employees into the strong culture Valero has built. Along with her education, she carries lessons of teamwork and cultivating relationships from the soccer team and SPURS sorority to help her succeed in her role.

“In the professional world, you’re working with your team every single day as you build these relationships,” Zatopek says. “At Valero, we’re a team, and as HR professionals, we usually get to make that first impression as someone is getting to know the company. I love it.”