Grit and Grace

Overcoming adversity is nothing new for Cassie Bell. 

这位两届365英国上市官网(Oakland University)校友一生都在征服最艰巨的障碍，现在她的座右铭是“艰难的道路往往通向美丽的目的地”.” 

For the first 13 years of her life, 贝尔由单身母亲抚养长大，由于经济困难经常搬家. 她的母亲和祖母会爬过垃圾箱，为她和她的兄弟姐妹们找衣服穿, and as a result, 由于她的社会经济地位，她在学校经常被欺负. 

“As an adult, 我对祖母和母亲的无私有了更好的认识, and the continued sacrifices they made for us children,” she said. “I certainly learned this message the hard way. 但我们是我们所有经历的总和，如果没有这些经历，我就不会成为今天的我.” 

Bell’s teenage years were equally challenging. At the age of 17, 她怀孕了，放弃了进入美国海军学院学习的机会，生下了她的第一个孩子. That same year, she married while she was still in high school, creating a rift with her parents that lasted nearly a decade. 

“继父是一个浸信会牧师，我觉得我的家人很失望，”贝尔回忆说. “[It was a] very difficult time for me as a young, new mom, (但是)我向我妈妈保证我会完成学业——我的意思是完成我所有的学业, not just high school.” 

贝尔的决心一如既往，她不仅遵守了自己的诺言，而且克服了困难. 她的高中校长和辅导员鼓励她在怀孕后转学, Bell refused and graduated in the top 10 of her class. She started taking college classes, 但她不得不辍学找全职工作来养活她刚出生的女儿梅兰妮和当时的配偶, who was also taking classes. 

Three years later, Bell and her family had moved from New Mexico to Rhode Island, where she gave birth to her son Quinton. Over the next couple of years, 她接受了一系列癌症前期诊断的医疗程序. 1995年至2004年间，由于她当时的丈夫就业困难，她全家搬了七次家，这是第一次, 这让她更难实现重返学校的承诺. 

By 2001, Bell and her family had moved to Michigan, where she became a store manager at a small electronic store, 她认为这段经历开启了她“通往人力资源的最初的无意识之路”.” 

"In a male-dominated space, 我发现自己被不公正地指责为性骚扰，仅仅因为那天早上我对一名员工微笑. Forced to endure grueling 14+ hour shifts, seven days a week due to inadequate staffing, 在没有适当支持或讨论的情况下，拄着拐杖工作了28周. These things became my ‘why.’ ” she said. 

Bell left her job and, after her divorce, began a new life. She repaired her relationship with her parents, met and married her now-husband Alex, and, under his encouragement, 最后开始攻读人力资源发展(HRD)的教育. 

In 2007, 贝尔在劳氏公司找到了一份全职工作，担任区域人力资源经理，并通过工作完成了学业, 一边在公开大学网上上课，一边在密歇根州出差. She ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree in HRD — and a 3.9 GPA, to boot. 

Shortly after graduating, 贝尔多次把家从匹兹堡搬到本顿维尔, Arkansas, 从2011年到2022年，她在山姆会员商店和沃尔玛供应链的多个人力资源相关领导职位上取得了成功. During that time frame, 她优先考虑实施对员工个人和职业都有利的人力资源实践, 包括在全球范围内推出的首个分层领导力项目. 她还担任沃尔玛紧急行动中心的负责人, 从流行病救济到主动应对枪手的努力，都在提供帮助.

“一般来说，我们的意志力和其他人是一样的, but some people have to overcome many more obstacles,” Bell said. “在我的生活中，我遇到过很多障碍，有些是自己造成的，但还有很多人遇到的障碍更多. How do we help remove these for them?”

但就在事情开始好转的时候，她又受到了一些困难的影响. From 2016-2020, she suffered several consecutive losses, 包括她的祖父——她称之为“她生命中唯一的男性榜样”——母亲, aunt and stepdad. In 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, for which she began undergoing treatments the following year. 

Four breast cancer treatments later, 贝尔再次把事情掌握在自己手中，并于2022年回到公开大学读研究生.

“I decided life was too short,” she said. “我回到公开大学读硕士课程，是因为我真的相信公开大学提供的扎实教育. 我知道它符合我的道德信仰，它只会让我走向成功.” 

Later that year, 贝尔接受了NAPA Auto Parts的职位，担任人力资源战略和运营副总裁. 她于2023年毕业于公开大学，获得组织领导硕士学位和4.从那以后，他转任NAPA的首席人力资源官.

贝尔说:“要有追求成功的激情，要在正确的时间出现在正确的地点。. “我过去常常想，‘我永远不会成功，因为运气并不总是站在我这一边.’ I learned, though, 正确的地点和时间是因为你在正确的地点和时间为自己做好准备所采取的步骤. I’m truly blessed for my amazing husband, children, 朋友和领导们一直围绕着我，并继续支持我走向成功.”

For additional information on the HRD programs available at OU, visit courtsidecafe.net/orgleadership.