Student Employee of the Year 2024

It is my pleasure this year to nominate someone that you are all already quite familiar with. Standing at about 6’5, blue 282, he reps number 33, and epitomizes school spirit. He is a Monmouth University icon, an adored public figure, and a staple to our Hawk family. My 2023-24 Student Employee of the Year nominee is none other than, Shadow the Hawk. Anyone familiar with the art of mascoting knows the importance of anonymity. I am so often asked, “Who is Shadow?” and the answer is always the same, “It’s obviously just Shadow.” We do so well with it, that I would venture to say, of the twenty- three marketing assistants that I oversee, only about half even know who Shadow is, and they work with him on a regular basis. I am honored to now be able to share with you, the senior beneath the suite, Anonymous. has Anonymous been with me through his four years of his college career, and is about to complete his BA in Interdisciplinary Studies for Elementary Educators in May. He is a full-time student teacher in the Eatontown Public School System and is a member of the university’s Chabad club.

The beginning of Anonymous’s story is one of my favorites to share and truly demonstrates his passion for the career he has started in West Long Branch. I received an email from Anonymous during the “covid summer” requesting a call for more information on our mascot program. He was a perspective student, but wanted to ensure he could pursue his passion in a place that best suit (pun intended) him. We talked on the phone for about an hour, I felt as I imagine our coaches do when recruiting student athletes. He told me he would let me know if he decided on Monmouth in about a week. Well, that week flew by and Anonymous emailed me saying he was going to commit to Monmouth- it felt like landing the starting quarterback for me. My previous Shadow the Hawk had just graduated (and this is one position that I am oversee, but the entire university notices when it is not filled) and I needed to fill the position; to have someone who was so passionate as in coming freshman was truly a gift.

While Anonymous had a tough start to his career with so many covid related restrictions still in place, Anonymous made the maximum effort to learn not only the job, but how he could better assist and be present for the university. Since starting at Monmouth, he has done over 135 campus and community events including the university’s graduation, Open House, Accepted Students Day, library Story Time, various events for the School of Education, admissions, RWJ Barnabas Running with the Devils 5k, National Night Out, several minor league baseball events, various festivals, runs, and celebrations within Monmouth and Ocean County, and even a wedding! Anonymous has gone as far as taking other mascots positions, to really work on his craft and continue to develop his skill set. He has grown so much since starting with us, taking every opportunity presented to get better. Shadow’s boundaries truly know no limits when it comes to invitations, but Anonymous has taken so many opportunities to not only attend, make so many people’s days and bring an unmatched energy, but to also represent our university in our local community. He is inarguably one of the most well-known and forward-facing entities of our institution, which Anonymous has worked so hard to continue to build and maintain. In addition, Anonymous has made a majority of our home athletics events, contributing to our overall student and fan experience and game atmosphere.

Anonymous’s passion and energy over the course of his college career have been an outstanding contribution to not only our Athletics Department, but to the university as a whole. Shadow is a campus pillar and a beloved community figure. Anonymous has put endless time and effort into developing the Shadow character, attending events, and maintaining the standard for the Monmouth Athletics and University. His devotion and love for Monmouth can be seen every time you see Shadow, whether it be at a game, on campus or at a local event. We are so sad to see him leave us at the end of the year, but so proud of the work he has done for our department and university. He will undoubtably be an incredible teacher and we are excited to see what the future holds for his mascot career!

I would like to nominate Sofia D’Alessandro for Monmouth University’s Student Employee of the Year 2024. Sofia could be nominated as an exemplary student employee in any of the five categories, but I think the trait she best exemplifies is critical thinking. Many student workers do their job and nothing more, and there are limits to the kinds of tasks you can give them and expect success. Since the day she began to work in the Dean’s Office a little over two years ago, Sofia has soaked in every experience, task, and bit of information presented to build her own knowledge system of the School of Education. She then applies that ever-evolving knowledge to every task given to her. With Sofia, I know that I can give her a job that is complex and challenging, and even if something unexpected happens, she will use critical thinking to adjust and get the job done at a high level of quality.

After her first year working with me in the SOE Dean’s Office, it was apparent that Sofia could keep up with multiple priorities, including long-term projects. So, during the summer of 2023 at the Dean’s request, we set out to fully revise and edit the School of Education website. After taking WordPress training, Sofia set about creating a system through Google sheets of tracking each page and sub-page (approximately 250 of them!). Through this sheet she would keep up with whether a page was assigned to a faculty or staff member for review, was in progress, or was complete. Although we shared this spreadsheet, Sofia was the one who built it and made 75% or more of the actual website changes. As anyone who has edited a complex set of webpages before knows, one change can set off a cascade of other changes. Sofia would always see ahead to what these potential problems would be (for example, removing a page causing dead links in other places), and alert me to them, or most often, go ahead and solve the problem and then tell me about it to confirm she had done the right thing. When we needed to change something that we had not learned how to do in our training, Sofia would “just Google it” and figure out how to do it. If we did reach the limit of our editing abilities, then together we would construct a diagram and/or detailed instructions for the Webmaster of what we needed done to the page. As this project has continued for several months now, Sofia understands that some of our original assumptions about how this would play out have changed, and she has adjusted. The Dean is very pleased with the progress we have made, and I know it never would have come this far without Sofia.

Another area that Sofia uses critical thinking is with the creation of posters and flyers, in both print and digital formats. No matter the topic or event that needs promoting, Sofia will use all the resources at her disposal to make the best visual possible. It is challenging to balance giving enough information while maintaining a clear, aesthetically pleasing visual–and of course following brand and logo guidelines too. To strike that balance, Sofia experiments with the design elements and then consults others around the office for opinions and advice. She does not settle for “good enough;” she will keep searching for a better solution or a new idea. She will often mock up two or three versions of something and then we’ll talk about the pros and cons of each one before making a final decision. Not only is her perspective as a student valuable, but I also value her opinions and judgments as highly as I do those of my regular, full-time colleagues.

Finally, I would like to stress that Sofia’s critical thinking allows her to fully understand her role. I have had other student workers who might focus on just the tasks I give them, or just the customer service aspect (answering the phone, greeting visitors). They would not put it all together. Sofia understands that it is ALL part of the job. During her first summer (2022), I asked her to organize a long- neglected storage area in the basement of McAllan. Some might find this to be just tedious grunt work— and it was. Sofia saw beyond that, however, and now all the office staff and some faculty go to that storage room multiple times in a week and are able to find needed items. Programs and events go more smoothly, and often we are able to avoid making purchases because we know exactly what we have and where it is. I would also like to mention that she understands the entire mission of the University (serving students), such that she applies things she has learned in this position to her other job in First Year Advising (FYA). When she noticed that FYA regularly sent requests to the Webmaster for simple website changes, she asked if they didn’t know how to use WordPress. They did not, and so through her encouragement and guidance, the FYA staff are now taking training to be able to do website editing on their own!

In summary, Sofia exhibits critical thinking every day she comes to the office—she doesn’t just “do work,” she makes decisions about how to do things based on what she knows about the mission and values of the School of Education and Monmouth University. As we look ahead to her senior year in 2024-25, it is bittersweet because we both know that her time on campus (and thus on the job) will be less and less due to student teaching. Not surprisingly, Sofia herself has been reminding me that I need to look for a new student worker that she can help transition into her role. I know that Sofia will be an exemplary teacher when she graduates, and I trust that her experiences on the job here, both using and honing her critical thinking skills, will be a benefit to her future students, colleagues, and supervisor.

I believe that Taylor Charpentier is worthy of being Student Employee of the Year this year. I nominate Taylor for student employee of the year under the Outstanding Critical Thinking Award category. Taylor is in her third year at the Monmouth Digital Network and is graduating in the Spring.

Taylor has done may different jobs for the Monmouth Digital Network over her years. She has been audio tech, camera operator, and an analyst on our brand-new pregame show. Taylor has truly excelled at operating a camera. One thing that makes her so great on operating a camera is the fact she can do so many different things at once. For example, she can take direction to get a certain shot even when she is already on a shot. It’s not easy to listen to a voice in your ear and continue doing the job you are already doing.  She has to also do this when is an analyst on our pregame show. It is very difficult to keep on your train of thought while someone else is talking in your ear. Taylor can say she was the first person to ever do our pregame show and we have now done over ten of them!

Taylor has grown so much at the Monmouth Digital Network. She is able to solve problems and make what we do better. For example, Taylor was working our wireless camera out at football and we were having issues with the camera connecting when she was standing on the far side. She went back to the receiver, where the signal goes, and analyzed the issue. She figured out that the receiver was too low and needed to be raised up and moved away from the stadium so the signal would be stronger. This adjustment she made during our game allowed for the not only the Monmouth Digital Network on SNY & NBC Sports Philly to get a great angle of a close call touchdown but it also allowed the refs to be able to see as well. The Monmouth Digital Network provides camera angles for the refs to use in game to make sure the call was right and Taylor’s angle helped that day.

Taylor isn’t just a member of the Monmouth Digital Network, she is also a student athlete on our women’s lacrosse team. She works so hard on the field and off it for us. She works to help win games on the field and when she is off the field she helps so he fellow student athletes off on camera! She has left a mark on this program with the pregame show and with her great personality. She is always excited to be at work and always puts forth her best effort.

As I have mentioned earlier, Taylor has grown so much while with the Monmouth Digital Network. She is one of my go to analysts for our pregame show because she has grown so much. Taylor’s first pregame show she struggled but by show three she was great! She was able to grow and learn from the mistakes she made. She has also gone from being a mediocre camera operator to one of my go to people to work a camera. She has shown she really takes pride in what she does and its shows. The Monmouth Digital Network, Monmouth University, and the community is better off because of Taylor.

In conclusion, I believe that for all the reasons stated above, Taylor Charpentier should be the Student Employee of the Year.

Luca Morello is being nominated for Student Employee of the year, specifically in the category of Outstanding Leadership.  Luca is a senior live broadcasting student worker within the athletic department and Monmouth Digital Network who works on the broadcasts of Monmouth University’s sporting events which are either live streamed or shown on SNY Network and NBC Sports Philadelphia, local linear television.  Luca has always worked hard at his positions that he is assigned to while working on broadcasts.  Not only does he work hard every time he is working, he is consistently showing up excited and motivated to do the best he can do to greatly impact the fellow student employees, the work environment and the broadcasts positively.  His hard work and dedication for learning and improving himself has a lasting impact on the other students in the production room during broadcasts.  Luca has grown tremendously in his role as a replay operator for our broadcasts.  Being a replay operator sometimes has a bit of a learning curve during live broadcasts due to the fast pace of most sports, but that never deterred Luca from wanting to success at the position.  He continued to work hard and grow in his position and has now become one of our main replay operators for most of our 100+ broadcasts. He is always thinking ahead and creating replay highlights for multiple different players within a game and selling them to the producer that they are ready to run, while also still clipping replays in real time and creating highlight packages for halftime and end of broadcast responsibilities.  Not only has Luca grow so much in his role already, he continues to grow each time he works.  He has had to opportunity to shade a professional replay operator for a larger broadcast network and Luca asked multiple questions on how he can achieve better melts and Luca has taken those pieces of advice and implemented them into his own work here.  He is continuing to learn new ways and ideas and let them be seen in his roles.

Luca is a tremendous leader not only because he is a senior and upperclassman, but also because of his actions.  His ability to walk in the production room every time he works with a smile on his face and saying hello to his fellow students is just the first step he takes to motivating the students working beside him.  Luca continually encourages his fellow student workers to try a new position at work or helps to motivate them while they are learning a new position and working it for the first time.  He will always tell a fellow student that when he started learning replay it was a learning curve but now he feels confident each time he is on it.  Not only is Luca motivating his fellow students, but he is usually prepared and one step ahead when working as the replay operator.  If one player during the game is having a good game and we ask for a highlight playlist to be made to show coming back from the next commercial break, Luca’s response is usually “Yep, I have started one.” He is always taking the lead and being aware of who is having a good game and already ready to roll the replays whenever asked to.  He is also always ready to take advice and implement it into his own work and skill set.  He continues to want to grow in his role as a leader and replay operator.  The student workers who work with the live broadcasting are not only students and learners, but also teachers themselves.  Those who success tremendously at their roles and positions are teaching the younger and newer students the roles.  This has many benefits for both students.  Luca is one of the best student workers who in turn is one of the best student teachers.  His ability and knowledge of his positions is great therefore his ability to share that with the younger students is great.  Not only is he a great leader and teacher for his knowledge, but he is able to teach in a way that the younger students understand and are able to watch and see exactly how he achieves what he achieves.  He is always willing to share the ways he orders his shots in highlights or which camera he usually starts with when looking for a replay or simply how he is able to multitask live clipping plays and creating playlists.  Luca never has trouble answering questions from the younger students who are learning and picking his brain about his role.

Overall, Luca is a tremendous student employee who not only is a hard worker and great at what he does, but is incredibly motivating and positive as a leader and one the younger student employees look up to. 

Rachel Strazdins is being nominated for Student Employee of the year, specifically in the category of Outstanding Leadership. Rachel is a senior live broadcasting student worker within the athletic department and Monmouth Digital Network who works on the broadcasts of Monmouth University’s sporting events which are either live streamed or shown on SNY Network and NBC Sports Philadelphia, local linear television. Rachel is an extremely motivated and hardworking student employee, who never backs down from a challenge or new position at work. Since starting with Monmouth Digital Network, she has grown tremendously in her multiple different roles and has become one of our go to camera operators and leaders in and out of the control room. Rachel started working for us right around the time we installed new PTZ cameras in different facilities for productions. While the cameras are out at the fields, the controller to control them is in our production room and therefore controlled remotely. Not only does this operator control one camera, however they are controlling up to six cameras that are in different locations. This system was new to us and Rachel was the first student employee to work them during a broadcast. She was not afraid to jump into this position nor was she fazed by the number of cameras to control. Rachel quickly learned the controller, learned which cameras were the best for certain angles and shots we wanted to achieve with them and was always one step ahead on the shots. She immediately became one of our best PTZ camera operators in the production room.

Not only did Rachel pick up and learn different camera roles quickly, she is now able to teach all the younger student employees. Rachel is still the student who we have teach how to operate the PTZ cameras to other students, regardless of if she is on one of the controllers or a different camera. Not only is she able to teach other younger students how to operate the PTZ cameras, she is also able to teach them how to use and operate our other cameras at the field. We know that if we have Rachel show a newer student how to operate the camera, what is expected from the camera angle and even how to break down the camera afterwards. She has the personality that knows how to explain things well and properly for the other students to understand when they need to accomplish and how to work them. Students are not afraid to ask her questions while she is teaching them or throughout the broadcast if they have a question. Not only does Rachel have a personality that makes her a good leader for teaching other students, she has an upbeat and motivating personality that encourages all the students around her. From the moment she walks in the production room pregame, regardless if she is in there on a PTZ camera or on a camera out on the field, she is saying hello to all her fellow student employees and asking how they are. Her personality has the ability to wake the production room up and fill it with energy that everyone has a good game. She also is always willing to give praise and applaud another student employee, regardless of their year or position, when they do well at their job as well.

Overall, Rachel is an excellent student employee who not only is a hard worker and great at all the cameras she works, but is incredibly motivating and positive as a leader and a senior the younger student employees look up to.

It is my pleasure to nominate Jaclyn Ahrens and Emma Cooper as a group entry for Student Employees of the Year 2024 in the category of leadership. Emma and Jaclyn (Jackie) started working with our office in 2022 as volunteer Global Education Mentors (GEMs), following their study abroad experiences; Emma spent an autumn in Florence, Italy and Jaclyn practiced Spanish during an immersive summer semester in Cadiz, Spain. Since their time abroad, this pair has blossomed into two of our finest student workers. Now Lead Global Education Mentors (or LGEMs, a paid position) and trainers of our other student workers, Emma and Jackie shine in their role because they are passionate about helping students and encouraging them to expand their comfort zone via international education. The Global Education Office would not be what it is today without the dedicated and impassioned support of Jackie and Emma. In fact, last semester our Global Education Office did not have a full-time Senior Study Abroad Advisor; Jackie and Emma stepped up and took initiative in countless ways, from revamping presentations and outreach event agendas, meeting regularly with prospective study abroad students, and brainstorming creative and unique improvements for every program we offer. These two amazing student workers stepped up to the plate to shape our program into what it is today, proving themselves as the true leaders that their role title, Lead Global Education Mentor, suggests.  

First, Emma Cooper is the definition of an outstanding student employee. She takes her work seriously and produces exceptional quality of output, yet she is kind, caring, and helpful to all around her. She has made a positive impact on the University through her professionalism and considerate demeanor. Emma takes her role of promoting study abroad opportunities to students and parents very seriously. She is also relatable and knows how to speak to her peers about topics that may concern and interest them. Emma’s student colleagues share similar feedback. Said one fellow LGEM, “she is so charismatic and passionate about supporting students’ dreams of going abroad. It is easy to see how much of an impact studying abroad has transformed her and pushed her growth.”   

Jackie, similarly, had a significant role in shaping how our department changed over the past year. Jackie started in our office with a goal to improve her public speaking and social media expertise. She took on these projects with focused determination to connect with students, also working to update our recruitment and advertising techniques and bring our office social media “up to date.” Thanks to her commitment to the student experience and by leveraging her creativity and marketing interest to elevate our online presence, our output is now much more relatable with the student population. In fact, two of her Instagram reels on our page went viral and greatly increased our follower count. She has also played a vital role in our social media strategy. We will use the momentum she created to expand upon our growth, long after she graduates this May.  Finally, Jackie’s leadership skills blazed when tasked to work with our Director, MyKellann Maloney, to lead aspects of the Global Education Mentor training sessions and Study Abroad Information Sessions for families during homecoming weekend and throughout the semester.  Her ability to effectively communicate complex ideas with clarity and confidence has been instrumental in the success of these outreach efforts.   

Overall, Jackie and Emma consistently go above and beyond when taking on tasks for our office.  They genuinely want students to understand the study abroad experience from the student perspective and they go to great lengths to offer meaningful information to prepare them before they depart on their adventures. Evidently, they are trusted members of our team; we are always confident placing our younger student workers with them, as they lead conversations and take initiative to ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and well. Studying abroad, though an exciting experience, can also be a daunting endeavor. No matter the concerns expressed by interested parties, Emma and Jackie treat others in a respectful manner, and demonstrate exceptional cross-cultural communication skills, as well as a sense of humor. I, myself, have learned so much from Emma and Jackie by observing their interactions in knowledge-sharing and offering advice to students. I often cite them as sources when telling students about their program options; the way they describe their courses perfectly weaves together diverse academic challenges with the clear joy and unique experience of learning abroad. As Emma is interested in pursuing a career in International Education, and Jackie in counseling services, their love for study abroad advising is apparent through their daily work.  

I hope this nomination proves that our student workers are not only great leaders in their own right, but also make a phenomenal team. They embody Monmouth’s Core Values of service and caring characterized by mutual respect for their peers, Monmouth employees, and the greater international community. Finally, they empower our campus community by helping our students realize that they are capable of achieving feats they never thought possible. We couldn’t think of a better team to win this award than Emma Cooper and Jaclyn Ahrens. I thank you for your consideration.

It is my pleasure to nominate Jaclyn Ahrens and Emma Cooper as a group entry for Student Employees of the Year 2024 in the category of leadership. Emma and Jaclyn (Jackie) started working with our office in 2022 as volunteer Global Education Mentors (GEMs), following their study abroad experiences; Emma spent an autumn in Florence, Italy and Jaclyn practiced Spanish during an immersive summer semester in Cadiz, Spain. Since their time abroad, this pair has blossomed into two of our finest student workers. Now Lead Global Education Mentors (or LGEMs, a paid position) and trainers of our other student workers, Emma and Jackie shine in their role because they are passionate about helping students and encouraging them to expand their comfort zone via international education. The Global Education Office would not be what it is today without the dedicated and impassioned support of Jackie and Emma. In fact, last semester our Global Education Office did not have a full-time Senior Study Abroad Advisor; Jackie and Emma stepped up and took initiative in countless ways, from revamping presentations and outreach event agendas, meeting regularly with prospective study abroad students, and brainstorming creative and unique improvements for every program we offer. These two amazing student workers stepped up to the plate to shape our program into what it is today, proving themselves as the true leaders that their role title, Lead Global Education Mentor, suggests.  

First, Emma Cooper is the definition of an outstanding student employee. She takes her work seriously and produces exceptional quality of output, yet she is kind, caring, and helpful to all around her. She has made a positive impact on the University through her professionalism and considerate demeanor. Emma takes her role of promoting study abroad opportunities to students and parents very seriously. She is also relatable and knows how to speak to her peers about topics that may concern and interest them. Emma’s student colleagues share similar feedback. Said one fellow LGEM, “she is so charismatic and passionate about supporting students’ dreams of going abroad. It is easy to see how much of an impact studying abroad has transformed her and pushed her growth.”   

Jackie, similarly, had a significant role in shaping how our department changed over the past year. Jackie started in our office with a goal to improve her public speaking and social media expertise. She took on these projects with focused determination to connect with students, also working to update our recruitment and advertising techniques and bring our office social media “up to date.” Thanks to her commitment to the student experience and by leveraging her creativity and marketing interest to elevate our online presence, our output is now much more relatable with the student population. In fact, two of her Instagram reels on our page went viral and greatly increased our follower count. She has also played a vital role in our social media strategy. We will use the momentum she created to expand upon our growth, long after she graduates this May.  Finally, Jackie’s leadership skills blazed when tasked to work with our Director, MyKellann Maloney, to lead aspects of the Global Education Mentor training sessions and Study Abroad Information Sessions for families during homecoming weekend and throughout the semester.  Her ability to effectively communicate complex ideas with clarity and confidence has been instrumental in the success of these outreach efforts.   

Overall, Jackie and Emma consistently go above and beyond when taking on tasks for our office.  They genuinely want students to understand the study abroad experience from the student perspective and they go to great lengths to offer meaningful information to prepare them before they depart on their adventures. Evidently, they are trusted members of our team; we are always confident placing our younger student workers with them, as they lead conversations and take initiative to ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and well. Studying abroad, though an exciting experience, can also be a daunting endeavor. No matter the concerns expressed by interested parties, Emma and Jackie treat others in a respectful manner, and demonstrate exceptional cross-cultural communication skills, as well as a sense of humor. I, myself, have learned so much from Emma and Jackie by observing their interactions in knowledge-sharing and offering advice to students. I often cite them as sources when telling students about their program options; the way they describe their courses perfectly weaves together diverse academic challenges with the clear joy and unique experience of learning abroad. As Emma is interested in pursuing a career in International Education, and Jackie in counseling services, their love for study abroad advising is apparent through their daily work.  

I hope this nomination proves that our student workers are not only great leaders in their own right, but also make a phenomenal team. They embody Monmouth’s Core Values of service and caring characterized by mutual respect for their peers, Monmouth employees, and the greater international community. Finally, they empower our campus community by helping our students realize that they are capable of achieving feats they never thought possible. We couldn’t think of a better team to win this award than Emma Cooper and Jaclyn Ahrens. I thank you for your consideration.

Lindsey was one of the first students I interviewed for this position in our department. I immediately was blown away by her maturity and how well-spoken she was in a stressful situation. There were two other Monmouth employees that joined me for her interview and instead of seeming nervous, she was just excited to have the chance to work for our department. She was excited to learn more about our department and all the programs we had to offer to both students going abroad and the international students coming to our campus. She was offered the position as a sophomore and has been an important part of our office since then. She has also gotten a chance to visit Costa Rica as part of our faculty-led program, International Outdoor Education, led by Dr. Jeremy Lackman!

Even though Lindsey has shown great enthusiasm for our Study Abroad programs, I am nominating her for Student of the Year for her work with our international student population. International students are the other group our office is in constant contact with throughout the year. Lindsey has gone above and beyond, showcasing exceptional cross-cultural communication and a true desire to help the students maximize their time at Monmouth University. Lindsey has proven to be vital to the growth and development of the Global Education Office. In particular, her contributions to the newly installed monthly international newsletter have been integral to the outreach and communication goals we are striving to achieve with our international student population. In this role, her natural creativity and enthusiasm have been given the green light and she has flourished beyond expectations. Her willingness to collaborate with her colleagues and work together as part of a team even further adds to her value as an employee. Outside the scope of her responsibilities in her role, Lindsey is someone with high character who is always respectful, helpful, and approachable to anyone who visits our office. It also helps that she may be one of the most friendly and personable individuals we have on staff.  

I really do look forward to seeing what she can accomplish after her time here at Monmouth. She has made a deep and lasting impact in our office with the creation of our International Student Newsletter. Her, along with the other founding members of this team, have made it so much easier to get the information out to our international students that they may not have seen before. Not only do we now have a way to keep in contact, but we are able to share what the other departments at Monmouth can do for them. It has been truly both a pleasure and a luxury to have Lindsey on our team and I strongly urge this committee to consider her for this well-deserved nomination.

The first question posed to Lincoln during his initial interview for the Office Assistant position in the department of History and Anthropology almost two years ago was, “Can you welcome into this safe space anyone who enters regardless of any differences they may present?” His answer was resounding and affirmative. He has consistently demonstrated inclusion by ensuring that anyone who comes through the office, the department, the History & Anthropology Club, and campus or off-campus activities are welcomed and ensured a feeling of belonging and support. He displays respect for those who’s values, background, or opinions may or may not align with convention. We have often heard in the office when a perspective or practice is offered that may not have been the current view or tradition, his response, “That’s fair.”

His enthusiasm for bringing students into the fold of both the department and the clubs and activities he is involved in is contagious. During his co-leadership, the History & Anthropology Club hosted the first ever Trivia Night in conjunction with the Pride Club. It was booming success.  His involvement in the promotion of the Club trip to The American Natural History Museum in NYC contributed to an impressive number of participants from all across campus from diverse populations. I have seen first hand numerous incidences of his reaching out to students lingering on the fringe of activity, ensuring their inclusion.

Lincoln has been influential in the functioning of the office, ensuring that customer service dictates that the student comes first. This is evidenced in the number of students who chose to spend their free time to congregate in the department lounge area adjacent to the office between classes They are always welcomed and engaged in sharing of ideas for class assignments, club activities, educational trajectories, and career options. It is encouraging to see how this peer support network has developed around Lincoln.  He is brave enough to show up to work his authentic self-every day, extremely diligent in how he addresses those around him, careful to use their preferred pronouns, speaks up when injustices are noticed, uses his personal experiences to connect with and show empathy toward others, and is always supportive of his peers and coworker’s differences.

In addition to his regular and often mundane responsibilities, Lincoln has also stepped outside the office to cover stories for the Departmental newsletter. He has reported on a first debate in a new adjunct’s class. The new employee expressed his gratitude that both he and his students felt for the recognition and being included in celebrating the department’s achievements.

Lincoln is also quite talented in producing artistic and inclusive flyers for the department’s faculty. His technical skills and innovation in use of computer programs produce beautiful and effective results. Faculty have come to depend on him to convey their messages around course topics and extracurricular events in a way that relates to our diverse student body.

I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for Lincoln’s help these past two academic years. He has consistently gone above and beyond our expectations as both a student and an employee. He is always full of new ideas and perspectives that leave a lasting impact, and inspire us to broaden our own point of views. It has been rewarding to witness his maturity and professionalism grow over each semester. Please consider Lincoln Pereira as Student Employee of the Year 2024 in the category of Diversity and Inclusion.