Career Exploration and Development hosted its first Student Employee Awards Celebration to kick off 91ֿ’s Student Employee Appreciation Week.
The celebration consisted of a dinner and awards ceremony honoring and recognizing student employees.
Justin Edwards, Ph.D., executive director of Career Exploration and Development, kicked off the awards ceremony and welcomed Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., senior associate vice president, student access and support, and dean of University College, to the stage to welcome all those who attended.
Keith Smith, associate director of Career Exploration and Development, and Ally Rudolph, program officer of Career Exploration and Development, emceed the event and welcomed guest presenters up to present six awards to student employees and their supervisors.
Smith and Rudolph presented the Flashes GROW Award to Kristin Dowling, director of IdeaBase. The award honors a supervisor who is dedicated to engaging and developing student employees and preparing students for their careers.
Jenny Campbell, student intern at Career Exploration and Development, and Natalie Ruple, a Career Peer, presented the Outstanding Supervisor Award to Chris Lukas, assistant director of Outdoor Adventure for Recreation and Wellness Services, and to Layne Crow, assistant director of the Exploratory Advising Center. This award recognizes the supervisors’ mentorship, leadership and commitment to respect, trust and student development in the workplace.
Nicole Kotlan, Ph.D., senior director, Student Progression and College Operations, University College, presented Brooke Schwerha with the Change-Maker Award, an award focused on honoring students who have made an impact on their community through their work.
Michael Daniels, Ph.D., director of the E. Timothy Moore Student Multicultural Center, awarded the Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Award to Dorisha Hendrix and Jenna Gilbreath. This award honors students who equitably engage and include people from various cultures.
Talea R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., associate vice president and dean of students, presented Gavin Aitken with the Inspirational Leadership Award. This recognizes students who show a positive impact on others and use both personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Lastly, Flash joined Edwards on stage to help celebrate the student employees and award Owen Dame the Sunshine and Positivity Award. This award celebrates students who brighten the days of others and act in the interests of the workplace.
The discussion for this event started in October 2022 when brainstorming ways to celebrate the university’s student employees.
“We wanted to bring together all supervisors and students and create a celebration, not a ceremony,” said Smith, associate director of Career Exploration and Development.
He and others planning the event sought feedback from University College Student Ambassadors to ensure that they were creating an event that would make students feel appreciated and celebrated.
“The feedback was invaluable, and we referred to our notes often following this conversation," Smith said. "We moved forward with confidence in our planning that both students and supervisors were excited to take part in this celebration."
Edwards closed the ceremony by thanking the student employees in the room for their dedication and contributions to the university and inviting students up onstage for a group photo.
See other events happening for Student Employee Appreciation Week.
Learn more about Career Exploration and Development.