Iowa State announced the winner of its annual Student Employee of the Year Award on March 20 in the Memorial Union Sunroom. The award seeks to recognize extraordinary work done by Iowa State student employees acting as leaders and innovators within their roles.

The award was introduced in 1990, acknowledging the outstanding efforts of student employees and the important role they play on campus. Iowa State’s student employees make up the largest employee group on campus, with nearly 10,000 student employees working annually to advance the mission of Iowa State.

Last year, Iowa State introduced a new award for the Student Employee Supervisor of the Year. The goal of this award is to recognize the work of those in direct supervisory roles of student employees, acting as role models, mentors and coaches, and providing career readiness education outside the classroom. Student employees or colleagues may nominate supervisors who work with hourly employees that they feel should be considered for the award.

The reception event kicked off at 2 p.m. with an introduction from Taylor Lelonek, Office of Student Financial Aid program specialist and director of the event.

“Statistics show us that student employees graduate at higher rates, leverage new opportunities post-graduation and borrow less than their peers that are not working while a student,” Lelonek said. “The written nominations are a testament to the development of our student employee’s career readiness competencies.”

The event’s keynote speaker was Rachel Fishel, former Student Employee of the Year winner and current youth & 4H extension specialist at Iowa State. Fishel received the award in 2016 and took the podium to speak about the importance of working on campus.

“I didn’t realize how profoundly my student employment experience would shape my college experience and well into my future,” Fishel said. “Perhaps you came to Iowa State to obtain a degree, but you will leave Iowa State University with so much more; you will leave with experiences and skills that will truly make you career-ready.”

Nearly 40 students were nominated by their supervisors for this year’s award. Criteria for student nomination included being a currently enrolled undergraduate student and holding an hourly employee position. The nomination process involves supervisors submitting a letter to outline an individual’s qualifications in the areas of community service, collaboration and teamwork, leadership, technology and innovation and critical thinking. 

The Office of Student Financial Aid collects and delegates the nominations received each year. A selection committee made up of university faculty and staff then reviews all eligible nominations and discusses the merits of the candidates. They then determine three students of distinction and a winner. They determine a runner-up and winner for the supervisor.

The winners of Iowa State’s awards for student and supervisor are submitted to the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MASEA) and National Student Employment Association (NSEA) award competitions. 

Dwaine Heppler, associate vice president of human resources delivery, then took the podium to speak on the importance of student employees and their supervisors on campus before announcing the Supervisor of the Year award winner.

Rhonda Evans, a program specialist for the department of human development and family studies was announced as the runner-up.

Ray Schmidt, a coordinating marketer for Rec Services, received the honor of Supervisor of the Year. 

Following the recognition for the Supervisors of the Year, Tricia Stouder, a former student employee and current program manager for the Office of Student Financial Aid, recognized each of the 39 student employee nominees and celebrated their accomplishments.

Stouder then proceeded to name Iowa State’s three student employees of distinction. The winners were Kelsey Henderson (CALS office assistant and senior in agricultural business), William Knight, (dining student staffing coordinator and senior in mechanical engineering) and Abigail Wing (National Student Exchange student assistant and senior in agricultural and life sciences education). All three students were recognized for their work and were presented with an award certificate.

Following a round of applause for the students of distinction, Stouder announced the winner of the Student Employee of the Year Award: Natalie Young, a student worker for the Center of Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) and senior in global resource systems. 

“When the speaker mentioned the Center for Food Security and Public Health in the acknowledgment of the Student Employee of the Year, I was shocked and overwhelmed with gratitude for my supervisors, my family and all the folks that were there to support me,” Young said.

Young has been a student employee at CFSPH since November of 2021, where she primarily assists lead public health veterinarian Jenna Bjork with a variety of projects, including respirator fit testing for the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Transboundary and Emerging Diseases of Animals Initial Accreditation Training curriculum.

“I initially applied to CFSPH because, growing up on a small family farm, I have always had a passion for animal agriculture and food security around the world,” Young said. “The wide variety of programs supported by CFSPH sparked my interest, and I am so thankful that I have had such welcoming and supportive supervisors that have continued to introduce me to new areas of agriculture and education.”

Young has learned new skills throughout her work, including course development, graphics and web design. However, Young said that some of her greatest learning experiences have come from collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and external organizations to accomplish their end goals.

“I believe that working a job while in school can be an incredibly formative experience for college students,” Young said. “For me, being a part of both a classroom setting and a workplace environment simultaneously has helped me to develop my time management skills but has also been a grounding reminder that I am working towards my passions and am a part of something bigger than just the next assignment or number in the gradebook.”

Despite her initial shock at being named Iowa State Student Employee of the Year, Young was able to celebrate her achievement with supervisors and family members who attended the event in support. Young will represent Iowa State as its nominee at the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators and National Student Employment Association award competitions in April.

“I definitely struggled, and still do, to find adequate words to communicate how thankful and honored I am to receive the opportunities, support, and recognition that I have been given,” Young said. “I am so proud of all of the amazing things that all of the student employees at Iowa State have accomplished, and the overwhelming feeling of the past week has just been gratitude for everybody that has made this all possible and pride in the hard work that I know I have invested to get here.”