Her Story
About Gina
Gina Wages serves as Human Resources Specialist at Franklin Regional School District in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. She has been with the district for 15 years, beginning as a substitute teacher before transitioning into administration, and has held her current HR Specialist position for 4 years. With a total of 5 years in the human resources field, she supports recruitment, employee relations, compliance, and HR operations to ensure the district attracts and retains qualified staff. Gina earned her master's degree in HR Management from Indiana Wesleyan University approximately one year ago and obtained her SHRM certification when she first took her current role. She also holds a teaching certification. Her professional affiliations include membership in SHRM and the Pennsylvania Association of School Personnel Administrators (PASPA). Gina attributes her success to her faith and a willingness to take on new opportunities, noting that people skills and kindness have been key to her career path.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to God, because I never would have thought I was in HR. Through being willing to substitute, and the HR director pulling me in. She said she can teach HR but not people skills. So doing whatever I did to the best of my ability, and being kind really does matter.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Love what you do. My dad always said it's easier to find a job when you have a job.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It can be very rewarding, it can be very difficult as well. I don't know how I would have done it as a younger person with children at home, but the ladies that do it with children at home, you have to pick your battles.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest challenges are all the mandates for us in the public school district that keep coming from the state. There's so many things that the staff has to have and has to do, and every year it seems to be more and more things that are being required of school staff to have completed, and having the time to make sure that everybody has that completed, and following up with compliance. Biggest opportunities: there's far more emphasis on human resources than it's ever been in the past. Now every college has a bachelor's degree in it. There's a lot of opportunities, and every business needs somebody that has that mindset and background.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Faith and family are my two biggest. Integrity. Being kind. In this world today, you don't find very many kind people. I always strive to be kind to everybody that I come across and try to understand where they're coming from before I jump to a judgment.
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