Graduation Feature

For a guy who is graduating in just three years, Norman Henderson has accomplished a lot.

The 31-year-old Sumava Resorts resident described himself as a “mediocre high school student,” but at Purdue University Calumet, he has been a regular Dean’s List qualifier. That’s despite working full time and navigating through course loads of up to 21 credit hours per semester. Before that, he spent eight years in the army.

However, Henderson figures to be able to catch his breath soon. In fact, Tuesday (12/18), he and his classmates have a date at the university’s Fall Commencement Exercises, where he will receive his bachelor’s degree as a double major in human resources and business.

Pre-Purdue Calumet, while in the army, he trained troops for overseas deployment, was a recruiter for Special Operations and eventually became an army recruiter.

Henderson said his army recruiter job was especially satisfying, because he felt he had a hand helping individuals make career decisions—including himself.

“Parents of people I recruited would come back to me and be so thankful for helping their son or daughter,” he said, adding that that sentiment encouraged him to study human resources at Purdue Calumet.

Henderson said his desire to help people didn’t come exclusively from the army. While he was growing up, he said, he remembered his dad lending a hand to those in need.

“If there was someone broken down on the side of the road, my dad was there to help,” he said. “You never know when something good you do will come back to you.”

Henderson continued to carry to college his drive to help those in need. He has served as secretary of Purdue Calumet’s Society of Human Resources Management Student Chapter, (SHRM). Members of SHRM regularly participate in community outreach ventures, including that of providing gifts during the holiday season for the less fortunate.

“Norm has impressed me as someone who really enjoys getting involved and giving back to the community,” Purdue Calumet SHRM Advisor and Associate Professor of Management John Lucas said.

Additionally, Henderson served as one of the first resident assistants at Purdue Calumet’s student housing complex, The University Village.

He also has acted in a hospitality role as part of Purdue Calumet’s Student Ambassadors team, and he has held a campus job in the Office of the Registrar.

“Norman has continually impressed me with his drive and ambition,” Judith Johnson, Purdue Calumet enrollment services registration coordinator, said. “His enthusiasm and positive attitude is contagious; there is no task too small or too large that he feels doesn’t deserve his full attention. This is evident in his attention to fellow students and his class assignments.”

Henderson’s career plans also appear to be shaping up. Last summer, an internship he obtained in the human resources department of ArcelorMittal Steel Corp.’s northwest Indiana plant led to a job offer.

Asked what he has valued most about his Purdue Calumet experience, Henderson was quick to cite the faculty.

“I will always refer back to what I have learned from the professors here at Purdue Cal,” he said.