CXR Foundation 2024 Scholarship Winner

Chris Hoyt: So Isel, we’re excited to have you here. I was going to say “I,” but we’re all excited to have you here. We don’t usually have this many guests and co-hosts and co-facilitators on, but I have to ask you—you went through a pretty rigorous process. Curtis is going to break that down for us today, but how was it? Was it easy? Painful? Like climbing a mountain of glass? What was your experience going through the application process?

Ysolina Hartzell: It felt like I was winded. You know that feeling when you’ve gone up a flight of stairs and haven’t worked out in a while? That’s how I felt during the process. Every time I passed a stage, I had to take a nap, lay down with my rabbit—she’s my emotional support animal—and just rest for a couple of hours. I was shaking through it, but it was fun. I don’t regret it. I’d do it again, 100%. I met wonderful people through this process. But again—I felt winded.

Chris Hoyt: Oh my gosh. What wonderful people did you meet? We didn’t bring any today!

Ysolina Hartzell: Don’t say that!

Dawn Carter: What’s the name of your rabbit?

Ysolina Hartzell: Her name is Lucky. It’s a basic name, but she was rescued. My friend found her dumped and she hopped into his backyard. He fed her Cheerios for three days and then brought her inside. They couldn’t keep her because they had a cat, so he called me and said, “Hey, do you want a rabbit?” At the time, my family was kind of known for taking in animals my friends found—we had nine hamsters, rescue birds, two dogs… So I thought, why not? I’d never had a rabbit. Let’s do it.

Curtis Dorsey: What makes it even funnier is he gave Lucky Cheerios instead of Lucky Charms.

Ysolina Hartzell: Right? I know! I was like, “Why Cheerios?” He said, “I don’t know, I was just outside eating them.” I asked, “Why were you outside at 6 AM?” And he goes, “Air.” So… okay.

Loren Bunche: What does he eat now?

Ysolina Hartzell: My rabbit? She eats a lot of human food. She hears a crunch and she’s there smacking my foot until I give her something. And my friend still eats Cheerios. He says it reminds him of Lucky.

Chris Hoyt: What’s your friend’s name?

Ysolina Hartzell: Charlie.

Chris Hoyt: Shout out to Charlie—and Lucky the rabbit, of course. Are we ready to get started?

All: Yes!

Announcer: CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management. Listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging, and retaining the best talent. We’re glad you’re here.

Chris Hoyt: I am super excited today. I’m your host, Rory, and this is Lorelei. How are you, Lorelei?

Gerry Crispin: I’m just fine.

Chris Hoyt: Jerry doesn’t know who that is—he’s never watched Gilmore Girls. It’s a throwback. Anyway, I’m Chris Hoyt, President of CXR. With me is my partner Gerry Crispin, Co-founder of CXR. This is the Recruiting Community Podcast—weekly insights and updates in the form of a conversation. These are usually about 20-minute segments, but today’s a little different.

We’re talking today with this year’s CXR Foundation Inspire Scholarship committee members and this year’s winner! The CXR Foundation works to positively impact the talent acquisition industry by improving standards, helping professionals find meaningful work, and driving change. The Inspire Scholarship supports individuals planning to work in TA or students connected to those in TA.

First, some housekeeping—we’re streaming on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch… maybe TikTok, maybe BlueSky. If you want to check out past or future episodes, go to cxr.org/podcast. If you’re with us on LinkedIn, jump in the chat and say hello—we’ll respond.

And one more callout—bottom corner of your screen, there’s a QR code. If you’re watching on a treadmill, be careful scanning it, but it takes you to the Foundation donation page.

Gerry, anything I missed?

Gerry Crispin: Nothing, Chris. I might be lagging a little, but I think we’re good.

Chris Hoyt: Great. Let’s bring in our committee members and let them introduce themselves. Curtis, we’ll start with you.

Curtis Dorsey: Thanks, Chris. I’m Curtis Dorsey, a longtime CXR member and Foundation board member. I lead tech recruiting for Salesforce and I’m one of the Inspire Scholarship committee members.

Chris Hoyt: And Dawn?

Dawn Carter: Hi everyone! I’m Dawn Carter, at Uber in the TA organization. Longtime CXR member and have been on the scholarship committee since its start. I look forward to it every year—learning about new professionals.

Chris Hoyt: And Lauren?

Loren Bunche: Hi everyone! I’m Lauren Bunch, SVP of Global Recruiting at Endeavor and TKO. I’ve been part of the CXR community for almost 10 years, proud to be involved with the Foundation and this scholarship process. Excited to talk more today.

Chris Hoyt: Love it. Curtis, can you give us a little background on the process?

Curtis Dorsey: Sure! The Inspire Scholarship has been running for four years. Each year we get over 200 applicants. This year was no different. We narrow that down to 12 finalists who are all interviewed by the committee. We focus on competencies like perseverance, problem-solving, leadership, and interest in TA. That’s how we selected this year’s winner—Ysolina Hartzell—our fourth recipient!

Chris Hoyt: Let’s bring her in! Hey Ysolina—how are you?

Ysolina Hartzell: I’m good! How are you guys?

Chris Hoyt: Welcome and congratulations on being the scholarship winner. I’m going to take a backseat now and let the committee chat with you a bit.

Curtis Dorsey: So Ysolina is a senior at Florida Atlantic University, completing her bachelor’s in psychology and planning to pursue a master’s in industrial psychology. She’s passionate about supporting the TA space and employee retention. She’s overcome a lot of adversity, shown a lot of leadership—and we’re thrilled to welcome her.

Loren Bunche & Dawn Carter: Congratulations!

Curtis Dorsey: What’s one of the things you’re most excited about as you finish your bachelor’s?

Ysolina Hartzell: I’ve actually decided to go back and get another bachelor’s—in business and marketing—before my master’s in industrial psychology. I love school, so it’s exciting. And, bonus, I get bragging rights as the older sibling!

Dawn Carter: What made you decide to go back?

Ysolina Hartzell: Industrial psychology is a newer, competitive field. Most people in it have similar psychology backgrounds. I want to stand out, and business and marketing will give me an edge. It ties into what I’ll be doing and gives me a better foundation before heading into the workforce.

Loren Bunche: Love that. How did you hear about the scholarship?

Ysolina Hartzell: Funny story—my dad is a veteran and gave me his GI Bill, which was amazing. But I have younger siblings, and I didn’t want to use it all up. So I started applying for scholarships. One day my dad came home and said, “Hey, I found this scholarship at work—CXR.” We applied together. Thanks to him, I’m here!

Dawn Carter: Amazing dad! Thank him for his service!

Curtis Dorsey: It really speaks to your values—that you wanted to leave some of the GI Bill for your siblings.

Ysolina Hartzell: Yeah, I was so grateful to have that support, but I saw my friends struggle with college costs. I didn’t want my siblings to go through that. Especially with a full class load—it’s a lot.

Chris Hoyt: Ysolina, your application mentioned that you were part of the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas. I have to imagine that had a huge effect on you. Did that influence your academic or career path?

Ysolina Hartzell: Yes, absolutely. Before 10th grade, I wanted to be a vet. I grew up on a farm and loved animals. But after the shooting—losing friends and going through that trauma—I wanted to give back and help others through tough times. One of my friends who passed was into psychology. That made an impact. I shifted to psychology and later found industrial psychology as a path where I could make a difference in the corporate world.

Chris Hoyt: I love that. And on a lighter note—TA is also a zoo! You’ve just traded one set of animals for another.

Ysolina Hartzell: At least now I’ll understand them better!

Dawn Carter: Some of the industrial psychologists at Uber work on the coolest, most complex people problems. It’s a great field.

Chris Hoyt: Alright Ysolina, one last question. We ask every guest this in some form. If you were going to write a book about your life up to now, what would the title be?

Ysolina Hartzell: That’s tough… but I actually wrote a college essay called “Butterfly.” So I’d name it that. It symbolizes transformation, resilience, and how what I’ve gone through led me to where I am today. Butterflies adapt—and I like to think I do too.

Chris Hoyt: I love that. Who gets the first signed copy of Butterfly?

Ysolina Hartzell: Mr. Curtis and Ms. Lauren—for sure. They were there for me.

Loren Bunche: We look forward to it!

Chris Hoyt: This might be my favorite podcast of the year. So much heart and gratitude. We’re excited to stay in touch and see what you do next.

Ysolina Hartzell: If you ever want me to come back or do a follow-up interview, I’m totally down for that!

Curtis Dorsey & Dawn Carter: Be careful what you ask for!

Chris Hoyt: Jerry, are we all done?

Curtis Dorsey: I think he’s frozen!

Chris Hoyt: Jerry says we’re good! See you all next week at cxr.org/podcast!

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