Vikas Menon is full of ideas.

As the new director of human resources for ASMSU, the computer engineering junior said he plans to streamline the way MSU's undergraduate student government operates.

"I want a human resource department, not just a person who hires and fires people," he said.

Menon recruits students, coordinates hiring committees and maintains a database of applicants.

"I just love human resources," he said. "You have a lot of space to work (with)."

The organization is letting Menon run with his ideas, association director James Perra said.

"He's really qualified for what he does," Perra said. "I had high expectations when we hired him that he's surpassed."

Menon started working in human resources when he was in high school and also interned for Microsoft in the Middle East when he was 17 years old.

"People are just like 'What is he doing here?'" Menon said, adding many of his colleagues dismissed him as a kid.

But that didn't keep Menon down when he applied for several positions at ASMSU.

"It was a cool way to be a part of your student body," he said. "For some reason I just wanted to get in here."

And Menon plans on setting up tables at career fairs and keeping applicants on file to keep people interested in ASMSU.

The goal, he said, is to be able to fill vacancies quickly.

"When we go through a crisis we have a whole list," he said. "Let them know that we need them."

Menon also exudes his leadership as a mentor in Shaw Hall, Assistant Hall Director Heather Longstreth said.

"He's a very quiet guy but he's still a leader," she said. "His residents show a lot of respect for him."