Alan Bacon was recently named president of the northwest campus of Harrison College. He’s excited about his new role, but said his journey was slow, yet steady.
“It’s surreal. I’m still trying to digest this,” laughs Bacon. “I’m appreciative for the opportunity to fill this role. I wasn’t able to do this on my own though. You have to pay homage to those mentors along the way.”
About 10 years ago, Bacon began his career at Harrison as an enrollment representative. He was eventually promoted to the director of enrollment then transitioned to a position as the director of career services. He was also named the regional director of career services.
“I’ve also had the opportunity to teach some classes as well,” said Bacon, who added that he enjoys working with Harrison’s diverse students. Harrison College is a mixture of working professionals, traditional college students, and students who attempted college, had setbacks, but wanted to return and finish their degree. He said he takes pride in working for a place of higher learning that offers a student-centered, humanistic approach to delivering education.
At Harrison, Bacon has also served in roles such as partnership consultant and diversity manager before becoming top brass at the college’s northwest campus.
He said he had opportunities to diversify his career at other companies, but said his employer valued him and provided a career ladder that allowed him to try various positions. The Indiana University (IU) graduate said he worked hard and was dedicated. His efforts eventually paid off.
As the president of the campus, Bacon is responsible for growth and development in the northwest branch that specializes in veterinarian technology. He and Harrison College have plans to grow health science offerings at the location, which is also the college’s corporate partnerships hub.
Like Bacon, Vernicka Shaw has had to work hard to get to where she is today.
“I’ve wanted to be an attorney since I was 9 years old,” said Shaw, who is a corporate attorney at Krieg DeVault LLP. “I don’t know if that came from watching ‘Perry Mason’ with my grandmother or what. I’ve never wanted to be anything else.”
Shaw’s mother served in the military, which forced her family to move often. Despite living in various places along the east coast and life’s other expected obstacles, the Louisville native kept her focus on becoming an attorney. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh; a master’s degree at Webster University; and her juris doctor degree from Howard University.
“It was full steam ahead. I never wavered from my goal,” said Shaw.
After graduating in 2009, she worked at a law firm in New York City then found her way back to the Midwest to be closer to her family. In Indianapolis, Shaw said she is plugged into the community and enjoys making a difference.
Bacon and Shaw understand there are a lot of challenges young Black professionals face on a daily basis, yet firmly believe success is within reach of anyone who wants to work hard for it.
“Yes, I had a mother and step father, but we often lived in two different households because my dad worked in upstate New York and my mom’s job moved around a lot. There were many times it was my mom, sister and I living in a one-bedroom apartment,” said Shaw. “My parents never went to college, but they said I was going. That didn’t mean they knew how to get there. I had to figure it out on my own.”
Bacon said one way to begin a journey to success is for people to understand who they are and capitalize on what they’re good at.
“Every day on the job is a competition. You can’t compete if you don’t know how to use your strengths. Knowing yourself is crucial,” said Bacon.
Shaw suggests being the captain of your profession. She said decide what you want, make that goal plain, give it a time line, and work on how to make it happen.
“You can apply that to anything in your life,” she said.
Blacks should also align themselves with like-minded people that have positive goals and aspirations.
Bacon’s mother and father are IU graduates, but maintains he and his family had very humble beginnings. He learned hard work, dedication, risk-taking and perseverance from his parents and uses that in his career. If one doesn’t have a supportive family, Shaw suggests finding mentors that can offer guidance.
Bacon said he finds today’s youth become impatient when things don’t come quickly, but encourages them to remain patient if the road gets rough.
“It’s important to understand there will be peaks and valleys, but you have to remain stoic in the face of challenges, and not let any hardships create barriers that prevents future success. A setback is just a setup for a comeback,” said Bacon. “If it were easy everybody would be at the top.”
Shaw experienced setbacks on her way to becoming a corporate attorney. Upon starting law school, she was hospitalized which put her two weeks behind her peers in each of her classes.
“Plus Howard has an attendance policy where you have to go to class. I said to myself, ‘I didn’t come this far to get put out,’” said Shaw. “I went to class and I opened and closed the library every day. I ended up being in the top 10 of my class that first semester which set the tone for the rest of my law school career.”
Shaw also graduated from law school during the recession. Upon graduation, she had a job in New York, but her position was deferred for several months. Because bills were piling up, she worked unpretentious jobs until her professional position was ready.
“At the end of the day, you have to do what you have to do to sustain yourself,” said Shaw. “It didn’t matter that I had (several) degrees. The bills had to get paid.”
Bacon and Shaw are young in their careers, but have found a positive road to success that works well for their lives. They encourage others to find their path and pay it forward.
“People of color need to support one another. It’s our job – those who’ve ‘made it’ – to reach back and help people get to where we are…get further than we are. I always tell my mentees ‘learn from my mistakes and be better than me.’”
