‘Leaning’ Into Human Resources

Ask any high school student what their dream job is, and the likelihood of hearing “HR professional” is pretty slim — that is, unless you asked Elaina Bicego. 

Like most of her peers, Bicego wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after high school, until one day, her mother recommended she visit Oakland University’s Adult Career Counseling Center. She took several personality and skill assessments, which suggested human resources as a potential career. The following year, Bicego took a personal finance class in which students run a mock business; coincidentally, she was assigned to the HR department, which essentially sealed the deal for her. 

“I … absolutely loved it,” she said of the experience. “Once I learned more about what HR entailed, I was so excited to find a career path that was people-centered and involved so many different functions.”

When it came time for Bicego to start applying for college, the choice was easy. The Warren native was already familiar with OU’s campus — largely thanks to her mom, also a proud OU alumna — but was drawn in by the school’s human resource development (HRD) program, proximity to home and affordability in comparison to other schools.

“It is one of the only schools in Michigan with an HRD program … and it was one of the most accessible,” Bicego recalled. “We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so the fact that I could apply to OU for free, was eligible for multiple academic scholarships and grants, and there were no extra fees such as parking, really made the school accessible.”

During Bicego’s freshman year at OU, she was hired as a student assistant and accounting intern in the Accounting Office, an experience she called “invaluable.” By the time she left the position three years later, she had already had the opportunity to put much of what she had learned in her HRD classes into practice, which she largely credits to her then-manager, Judy Dorchock.

“[She] allowed me the freedom to implement new processes and trainings for the other student assistants,” Bicego said. “That is where I got my first chance to use what I was learning in the HRD program.” 

By the summer of 2018, Bicego had secured her first internship at Harman International as a learning and development intern, and had been elected treasurer of the OU HRD Student Association and Honor Society, having previously served as a member since 2016. 

For Bicego, the support she received from her professors at OU was instrumental in her pursuit of both internship and job opportunities. In February 2019 — just a few months before graduation — she was offered a position as a quality engineer at J.G. Kern Enterprises, a local automotive supplier. Under the encouragement of Professor Dennis Wade, she took the job, which eventually paved the way to a full-time HR position within the company.

“Typically, HR majors do not get the chance to get their foot in the door of quality, so I remember my professor Dennis Wade encouraged me to take it and see how I liked it,” she said. “This turned out to be an amazing experience working on a plant floor and opened up yet another door.”

Bicego graduated in 2019 with a bachelor of science in HRD, with minors in training and development, and Lean leadership, as well as a Lean green belt certification. Lean learning, one of the core concepts explored in OU’s HRD program, employs tools, techniques and management philosophies to help streamline processes and optimize performance while eliminating waste.

When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the United States in 2020, Bicego was approached by the company’s CFO about stepping into a newly created HR role, based on her educational background. 

“This company had never had HR before,” she recalled. “I helped build up the department from scratch and was promoted to manager after one year.” 

Being that Bicego was establishing the department on her own, she decided to expand her network of resources by getting involved with the Oakland and Macomb County Society for Human Resource Management (OakMac SHRM). She joined the board as the director of programming in 2021, and now serves as its president-elect. Her involvement with OakMac SHRM not only helped her jumpstart the HR department at Kern, but also “exposed [her] to an amazing network with a wealth of knowledge” that would ultimately lead to her current position.

Bicego now serves as the associate vice president of people at LightGuide, Inc., a projected augmented reality (AR) work instruction software company based in Wixom. In her role, she supports a team of 75 full-time employees, co-ops, interns and contractors in the United States, as well as a small team based in Europe. Her responsibilities include all functions of HR, such as recruitment, policy creation, compensation and benefits, wellness, employee engagement and culture. As a result of her hard work, she was nominated for the title of Top HR Professional at last year’s Michigan Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (MISHRM) Conference.

While her days at OU may be behind her, Bicego credits much of her professional success to the professors within the HRD department — specifically Joyce Katona, for “fostering [her] love of learning and development” and Dennis Wade for his support in taking the position at Kern — as well as the hands-on experiences and opportunities that were available to her on campus during her time as a Golden Grizzly. 

“Within the first five years of my professional career, I’ve gotten to try all three of my career path options,” Bicego said. “All of these experiences and opportunities have been possible because of the strong education, career coaching and encouragement I received during my time at OU.”

For additional information on the HRD programs available at OU, visit oakland.edu/orgleadership.