Iowa State gained another first to put under its belt when Rachel Wonderlich, senior in child, adult and family services, was selected as the 2016 National Student Employee of the Year (NSEOTY).

Each spring, the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) recognizes a student who works while attending college on his or her outstanding achievements.

Wonderlich was first nominated for the award by her supervisor and mentor Brenda Allen and Iowa 4-H staff member Marisue Hartung in February. The two wanted to acknowledge Wonderlich’s hard work, independence and creativity as a global citizenship intern.

“Rachel has a friendly and engaging personality,” Allen said. “She makes it easy for others to relate and work well with her.”

A donation helped form the position in Maple Global Citizenship in September 2014 with the goal of raising awareness for cultural diversity.

Wonderlich was the first to be given this internship, setting the bar high for incoming applicants. She has created lesson plans for staff and has organized workshops and webinars to relay the importance of global citizenship.

It was no surprise to Wonderlich’s family when she joined the Iowa 4-H program, as many of her relatives were also members.

“I gained interest in 4-H before I was even eligible to join,” Wonderlich said. “It’s somewhat of a family tradition.”

Wonderlich is the first student from Iowa to be recognized for the award. She was recognized in early March at a ceremony where top administrators congratulated her on her achievements throughout the school year.

Wonderlich was first nominated for the ISU Student Employee of the Year. She then hit the ground running in the competition, moving on to become a state, regional and national winner.

Wonderlich was shocked when she found out she was recognized as the winner of the NSEOTY award.

“I was still floating on Cloud 9 for receiving the ISU SEOTY award when I found out that I had received all of the others,” Wonderlich said. “It still doesn’t seem entirely real.”

Allen was also surprised when she heard about her nominee’s recognition. She appreciated Wonderlich’s hard work within the Iowa 4-H program and wanted her to know the impact she made, but Wonderlich’s success in gaining accolades on so many levels was not necessarily expected.

Allen encourages faculty members across campus to take the time and use this as an opportunity to thank their student employees.

“To have my nominee selected as the winner was the icing on the cake,” Allen said. “Be genuine in the process and include the impact that the student workers’ efforts has on others.”

Wonderlich is blessed to have been recognized at the national level and advises future nominees to always go the extra mile.

“Today’s success is tomorrow’s motivation,” Wonderlich said. “Don’t settle for what you achieve today, but challenge yourself to do something even greater tomorrow.”

Currently working on creating a global citizenship day, Wonderlich hopes to launch her latest project as part of the 4-H program at the 2016 Iowa State Fair.