We begin this year's student spotlights with Charlie Wills, a second-year student in the Industrial-Organizational and Human Resources Management (IOHRM) program. Charlie earned his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at Truman State in the spring of 2025 and is now pursuing his master's degree here at Appalachian State University.
Journey to IOHRM
Prior to joining the IOHRM program, it was when trying to determine his next steps post-graduation that Charlie became interested in the field of I-O Psychology. He first learned about I-O Psychology during a study abroad program in Hong Kong. One of his friends from their cultural psychology course had mentioned learning about it, and that conversation would be the starting point for his path in the field of I-O Psychology and HR Management. Over the following months, he would grow more familiar with I-O psychology as he began to narrow down his plans for after graduation from Truman State University. During that time, he spoke with a family friend who had made a substantial career using their psychology major. They recommended that he look into I-O Psychology, prompting his interest in possibly pursuing a masters in I-O Psychology.
At around the same time as he had been deciding on a direction post-graduation, Charlie also learned about the IOHRM program. At the time, Shawn Bergman had given an AI presentation at TSU that Charlie happened to be present for. It was through Dr. Bergman’s presentation that Charlie first learned about the IOHRM program, and it inspired him to learn more about I-O Psychology. It was a combination of all of these experiences that led Charlie to commit to seeking a master's in I-O Psychology, and eventually led to his participation in the IOHRM Program.
Exploring Interests as a Student
As a student, many of his interests were related to his work in Safety. Getting involved with the various research projects led by Safety gave him the opportunity to learn coding in R, develop physical documentation of work they’ve done, and gain experience with data management. Another aspect of the program that they enjoyed exploring was being able to apply their knowledge from their courses into their internship. The courses in the IOHRM program gave him the experience necessary to be involved in job analysis and other valuable projects within the internship. Exploring these interests has provided the opportunity to actually apply what was learned in class to settings where they will have a greater impact on the community.
Favorite Part of the IOHRM Program
Looking back at all of his experiences with the program, the part that stands out as the best for him was the people. He believes that the care and involvement shown by the professors is core to what makes this program worthwhile, and their investment makes this program one of the best out there. The connections from other experiences, like with Safety, were also meaningful, to the extent that he would consider safety to be an extension of the cohort in a sense. The cohort itself was equally as valuable, providing him the opportunity to create friendships that supported him throughout the program. The people in the cohort and related programs created a sense of community strong enough to stand on its own, and the professors are the backbone that makes this program so important for that community.
Advice for Prospective Students
Charlie’s advice for a prospective student would be to spend time with a professor. Rather than getting to know a number of professors at a surface level, he argues that it is important to work closely with one or two professors. To him, it’s one thing to get a letter of recommendation, but it’s entirely different to get one that is specific to the work that you’ve done. Though he acknowledges that both recommendations have value, there is a qualitative difference between the two that he believes is a vital detail for prospective students to consider.
Current Plans After Graduation
Charlie’s current plans after graduation are to get married and seek a career, possibly within the analytics field given his experience in that field. If there is the opportunity, he is hoping to find a remote role that could give him the flexibility to provide more opportunities to work in different locations that would be challenging to work in person.
Charlie Wills