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When we last caught up with Will Shearon (Business Administration, ’21) in March, he was in the middle of an internship at Parker Hannifin’s Pneumatics Division in Kittery right as the pandemic began sweeping across the country.

Shearon found himself as the company’s only human resources (HR) representative for the plant, which has 75 employees.

“This would have been challenging enough while maintaining his course work, but he had a trial by fire as the sole HR representative during the COVID-19 outbreak,” commented Tami Gower, CPA, M.Ed., MBA, clinical professor in the Business Department and Shearon’s advisor. “Will rose to the challenge and worked to put policies in place to support the employees and navigate a never before seen crisis.”

After that experience, Shearon moved on to another HR internship this past summer at CVS Health Corporation.  Initially, he had planned to be based in Hartford, Connecticut at the company’s Aetna Business Unit headquarters, but was ultimately shifted to working remotely due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

His internship was in the Change Management Department where he was responsible for helping to implementing change and ultimately helping to integrate change across the entire organization consisting of 350,000 colleagues. While working there this past summer, he received a full-time job offer commencing after graduation this semester. The offer was to join CVS’ Human Resources Leadership Development Program (HRLDP). He was selected out of a very large applicant pool after multiple rounds of rigorous interviews.

“It is a highly selective program,” Shearon commented. “There were only five people selected nationwide to join this program.  I will be working and living down in Hartford, Connecticut for my first 12-month rotation.”

To help him better understand the business and the company he will be working for, Shearon has taken a part-time job at the CVS store in Biddeford while he completes his degree at UNE.

“I just want to understand a bit more about the role of a pharmacist, experience customer service, and see how store operations work,” he said. “I think to be able to do my job, I have to have a good understanding of the business.”

Shearon has nothing but praise for the store’s manager Stacey Stubinski. 

“She has been a wonderful mentor to me and I cannot praise her and all my colleagues enough,” he exclaimed.

Shearon also has great appreciation for his time spent at UNE.

“Coming to 51Ʒ��has been the greatest decision that I could have made,” he stated. “I could not imagine myself being anywhere else, truthfully. My professors, especially in the Business Department, have given me the kind of personal support that has instilled me with confidence.”

Shearon came to 51Ʒ��by way of Cleveland, Ohio, where he moved to from his hometown of Newcastle, England in 2011.

Besides his steady class load, part-time work, and internships, Shearon has also found time to captain the 51Ʒ��men’s soccer team and get his pharmacy technician license. Last year he became the first ever recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean’s Leadership Award, which goes to a student who exemplifies the value of a liberal arts education by bringing together academic excellence with demonstrated applications beyond the classroom, while also engaging in leadership activities within CAS.

“After all of his experiences during this time in history, I truly believe that the sky is the limit for William,” commented Gower.