Olivia Hunt: Community-Centric STL Native and HR Professional
Hi all! My name is Olivia Hunt and I am a part of the first FlexMBA cohort here at Olin. I am grateful to be the student spotlight in this month’s edition of the GPO newsletter.
I am a St. Louis native, and despite a strong passion for travel, I have lived in St. Louis for the majority of my life. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri–Columbia (MIZZOU), where I double majored in both French and Sociology. I pursued those areas as I sought to optimize the perspectives and voices from which I could learn. Ultimately, these passions are what drove me to get my passport at age 19 and move to France for 5 months. That experience heavily contributed to my goal to seek global experiences and why I prioritized employment with a global company.
I have been employed at Reinsurance Group of America my entire professional career. Holding multiple roles within the HR organization, I started in the Talent Acquisition space, where I interacted with WashU primarily as a recruiter for our internship program. I have since transitioned into the HR Strategy and Analytics space and love my current role. I decided to continue my education with an MBA after a few years of working in the corporate HR space. Given my lack of formal business education, I wanted to strengthen my foundational knowledge and expand my network while advancing my career along and the impact I can have within my organization.
Beyond RGA and WashU, I serve on the leadership team position with the Society of Multicultural Professionals in Human Resources. This organization is focused on developing diverse HR professionals and it has been instrumental to my confidence and career success. I was tapped to participate in this group while I was still an undergraduate student by a leader I worked with during an internship, and it provided me with a community as I started my full-time career in 2020. I started my career at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: This network became essential to my ability to feel connected and have personal and professional resources as I established myself at work. Having benefited directly from the sense of community, one that specifically recognized my unique identity, instilled how important it is that I can offer that same sense of inclusion to others.
I currently co-lead the LGBTQ+ employee resource group (ERG) at RGA. I was eager to join the ERG at its creation and am honored to take on a leadership role that allows me to directly contribute to inclusivity efforts at RGA. Community is incredibly important to me, and it is incredibly fulfilling that I can build and support this community where I work.
I chose WashU because I sought a program that enables a global, diverse network while providing the foundational skills necessary for business. Having the ability to understand people and their lived experiences will strengthen the impact any business can have on its clients and also help establish equity. I am glad WashU recognizes this and am grateful to be in a community with values aligned with my own.
Outside of work, I have fostered my desire to travel over the years. I have included a few recent highlights from my time in Italy, Portugal, and Costa Rica! I am always looking to plan another trip and learn more about languages and cultures outside of my own. I prioritize community: building a large, global network, and ultimately, I value diversity.
Beyond traveling (or more likely, thinking about traveling), I am often taking a class at St. Louis Boxing Club or curled up with a good book. I am always happy to talk books, travel, or fitness 😊