UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dionne R. Wiggins, a 2013 World Campus graduate of the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations, gave the school’s 23rd annual Outstanding Alumni Lecture on Nov. 3, in Freeman Auditorium at University Park. She is the first World Campus graduate to be recognized as an Outstanding Alumni recipient.
Her invigorating talk “The Journey vs. The Destination: Your ‘Why’ is What Really Matters” was attended by nearly 400 live audience members and numerous World Campus students online.
Watch the full lecture on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjm0rwmLo1M
Wiggins’ empowering, yet down-to-earth speech shone a light on how veering off the career path you carefully sought out as a child is just as strong as sticking to the original blueprint — if you don’t lose your ‘why’ along the way.
She reflected on earning her Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employment Relations through Penn State World Campus and how her experience obtaining that degree reinforced her ‘why,’ even through times of extreme doubt along her personal and professional journey.
Wiggins is the vice president for people and culture at American Jewish World Service in New York City, where she leads the division responsible for strategic human resources partnerships, recruitment, payroll and benefits, and labor and employee relations. She takes great pride in fostering a culture of care, accountability, and honesty to ensure AJWS staff can excel in an inclusive environment. Wiggins is a staunch and passionate advocate for women, children, people of color, individuals with disabilities and animals. Even though she currently thrives in the human resources field, her background, and the career she always thought she was destined for, is in law.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), she went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg in 2006. In the midst of a remarkable law journey, change struck her family, which completely reconstructed the life-long law blueprint she always envisioned.
“I remembered what my mentor from law school, Lisa Moran, told me about going into human resources if I ever decided to leave law,” said Wiggins. “It was during this time of change when I had to pivot. I needed my time commitment to change from work to my family and this was a way for me to do that and still work in a profession that allowed me to have that human touch, which is so important to me.”
Tuning out the naysayers, Wiggins decided to go back to school to earn a master’s in human resources. However, time with her family was of the utmost importance, so finding a quality online program that allowed her to still work full time and take care of her kids was not just a want, but a necessity.
“I started Googling, and at that time there weren’t a lot of online options, but Penn State was ahead of the game,” Wiggins said. She had never heard of the Penn State World Campus, but it caught her eye when doing her due diligence. “When I saw it, it was not even a question for me. I said, 'That’s it, that’s the key — Penn State!'”
Reflecting on this unforeseen human resources chapter in her journey, Wiggins credits a lot of reaching her current role at AJWS to three key aspects from her educational experience through Penn State World Campus: the convenience, quality, and people.
Convenience was crucial and Wiggins knew her new lifestyle was no longer cut out for a brick-and-mortar type of education. Reporting to a physical building for class was just not suitable. The online MPS in HRER degree is designed to be completed in as few as two and a half years, but as a full-time working parent, she didn’t have to worry if it would end up taking longer to finish. Wiggins joked, “you pick your class time!” Sometimes that’s after the kids were fed and in bed. It wasn’t always easy, but she held her ‘why’ tight to her core.
A frequently asked question is if an online degree is the same quality as a degree earned in residence. With a change in her career path already, the last thing Wiggins wanted was a ‘quick and easy’ degree that would reroute her journey yet again.
“This program did not feel like an online program in a good way,” Wiggins said. Although it was less of a time commitment as far as traveling, the time commitment and quality still equated to a student in a brick-and-mortar classroom setting. “It wasn’t because you’re in an online program [that] you’re getting less, you get the same. Sometimes I felt like we got more.” Direct communication with professors and colleagues and questions answered around the clock made the difference in her master’s degree experience.
It is evident how imperative people and genuine relationships are to Wiggins. Throughout her lecture, she reiterated the importance of that human touch feeling. Transitioning from law to human resources was a daunting jump in her journey; however, the Happy Valley community she felt through her laptop screen sitting at home in New York struck a chord she didn’t initially anticipate.
“For me it’s more than an education. When you think of Penn State you think of a world-class education and wonderful staff members, but it’s also a family and a network that you’re gaining,” said Wiggins. “When you think about it holistically, it’s not just getting a degree, you’re gaining connections and a family that you didn’t have before.”
Reflecting on the convenience of her online MPS in HRER degree, the quality of the program, and the people involved along the way, Wiggins said, “It has been the key and it’s opened the door. I walked through the door, but that degree definitely opened the door for me.”
She encourages anyone who feels like they can’t find their destination to keep going because a destination is not static, it can change. Through her worldly experience, it’s the journey that makes people feel like they can’t find their destination, like they’re on a diverted path, or they’re stalled. “Your why is going to change from moment to moment, from day to day, from situation to situation, but at the core of that why, it always has to be you.”