Student Employment Recognition Event Winners – Office of Student Financial Aid

2022 Student Employee of the Year

Student employees are an important part of the University of Illinois campus community, and we would like to thank student employees for all of the work they do. The Student Employee of the Year selection was open to undergraduate students in all departments who have been working for the Champaign-Urbana campus for at least 6 months. Nominators wrote a letter describing the student’s responsibilities and why they believed their student should be considered for Student Employee of the Year. Nominations were evaluated by a selection committee using the following criteria: Reliability, Quality of Work, Initiative, Professionalism, and Uniqueness of Contribution.

Thank you to all of the nominees for your hard work and dedication, and thank you to the nominators for taking the time to recognize the outstanding student employees on our campus!

University of Illinois Student Employee of the Year

2022 – Daniel Owen – Auditorium Operations, Facility Scheduling & Logistics
2021 – Jeffrey Elem – Japan House
2020 – Faisal Masood – Bioengineering Instructional Labs
2019 – Chloe Toussaint – Central Access Services
2018 – Dawn Nguyen – Advanced Visualization Lab
2017 – Samantha Barratt – Integrative Biology
2016 – Amanda Sturgill* – Technology Services
2015 – Brandon Wood – NetMath-Mathematics Department
2014 – Alex Press – Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering
2013 – Michael McGarry* – Campus Recreation
2012 – Nick Wood – The Career Center
2011 – Neha Mehra* – Illini Union-Illinois Leadership Center
2010 – Justin Gholson – Illini Union Bookstore
2009 – Sarah Blatti* – Campus Recreation
2008 – Kevin Attermeier – Veterinary Teaching Hospital
2007 – Benjamin Cober – Illinois Leadership Center
2006 – Sarah Jacobson – Campus Recreation
2005 – Amber Raney – Animal Sciences
2004 – Amy Wilson – Department of Crop Sciences
2003 – Wesley (Shawn) Davis – National Center for Supercomputing Applications
2002 – Derek Cwik – Mathematics
2002 – Robert Kidd – Coordinated Science Laboratory
2002 – Jennifer Knapp – Beckwith Hall
2002 – Linda Lee – Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
2002 – Jennifer Reason – Human and Community Development
2002 – Shenyka Wheatly – Medical Scholars Program
2001 – Deniz Akin – LAS General Curriculum Office
2001 – Amanda Buck – Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences-Entomology
2001 – John Holton – Spurlock Museum
2001 – Meredith Johnson – ODOS-New Student Programs
2001 – Kalev Leetaru – National Center for Supercomputing Applications
2001 – Mark Uchanski – Natural Resources-Horticulture
2000 – Rosalee Dodson – Admissions and Records
2000 – Daniel Linder – School of Chemical Sciences
2000 – Susan Mahrt – Operations and Maintenance
2000 – Jennifer Martin – America Reads-Robeson Elementary School
2000 – Judy Schumacher – Child Development Laboratory
2000 – Joanie Strom – Human and Community Development
1999 – Rochelle Briscoe – Ecology, Ethology and Evolution
1999 – Jessica Brown – Materials Research Laboratory
1999 – Tenille Jackson – Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
1999 – Jessica Mattos – America Reads Program
1999 – Khalid Smith – Office of Minority Student Affairs
1999 – Chicha Tenner – Sociology

*Also named State of Illinois Student Employee of the Year

Student Employee of the Year – Runner Up

2022 – Francisco Gamino-Arevalos – Materials Research Laboratory
2021 – Michelle Shen – Business Administration
2020 – Tajesvi Bhat – NCSA Genomics
2019 – Benjamin David – Bioengineering Instructional Labs
2018 – Geraldine Carney – Engineering IT Shared Services
2017 – Theresa Pham – Spurlock Museum
2016 – Samantha Caselton – DRES Testing Accommodations Center
2015 – Peter Huh – Intensive English Institute-LAS
2014 – Kelley Sullivan – Housing & Dining Services
2013 – Amanda Moore – Carver Biotechnology Center
2012 – Ruoyu Zhu – Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory
2011 – Brian Towell – Veterinary Medicine Comparative Biosciences
2010 – Tracy Colin – ACES-Illinois/Indiana Sea Grant Program
2009 – Amy Boysen – LAS ATLAS
2008 – Ryan Cozad – Beckwith Residence Hall
2007 – Siedah Hampton – UIF Annual Giving Telemarketing Program
2006 – Nicole Billman – Illinois Fire Science Institute
2005 – Jessica Tomaszewski – Veterinary Biosciences
2004 – Charles Lee – School of Chemical Sciences
2003 – Timothy Snyder – Division of Public Safety-Student Patrol

Student Employee of the Year – Honorable Mention

2022 – Farah Mohammed Rafee – Undergraduate Research, Engineering Administration
2022 – Kayla Berry – Illini Union, Recreation Room
2021 – Johana Machuca – Illinois Leadership Center
2021 – Holly Hahn – University Bursar
2020 – Trennedy Kleczewski – Central Access Services
2020 – Saheli Sheth – Illinois Leadership Center
2019 – Jaclyn Nickerson – NetMath
2019 – Prisca Kigalu Lumbu – Computer-Based Testing Facility
2018 – Pierce Hadley – Bioengineering
2018 – Kennedy Stevens – University Press
2017 – Jesse Crowe – Engineering IT Services
2017 – Diamond Kinermon – DRES Testing Accommodations Center
2016 – Annalea Forrest – Beckwith Residential Support Services
2016 – Helen Liu – Donald R. Ort Lab-School of Integrative Biology
2015 – Jacob Fleener – University Student Financial Services & Cashier Operations
2015 – Kristen Goetzka – Dining Student Employment Office-Housing
2014 – Meher Bharucha – Illini Union
2014 – Nikoli Dryden – National Center for Supercomputing Applications
2013 – Cory Edwards – Pathobiology Veterinary Medicine
2013 – Tehseen (Tess) Mody – Undergraduate Admissions
2012 – Theresa Lopez – The Career Center
2012 – John Morrissey – Cognitive Computation Group in College of Engineering
2011 – Muhammad Arba’In – LAS ATLAS
2011 – Katherine Cash – Illini Union Hotel
2010 – Debonna Harper – Illini Union-Operations and Event Services
2010 – Amy Yahiro – Dining Services-Housing Food Stores
2009 – Phillip Johnson – Illinois Leadership Center
2009 – Anthony Santarelli – Division of Safety & Compliance, Environmental Compliance Department
2008 – Jacqueline Butler – ACES Human Resources
2008 – Joshua Nelson – The Spurlock Museum
2007 – Seth Franz – UIF Research Department
2007 – Robert Tardella – Pathobiology
2006 – Michelle Kincaid – Business Career Services
2006 – David Wolke – Business Career Services
2005 – Lindsey Baran – Illini Union-Office of Volunteer Programs
2005 – Kathryn Hohmann – Animal Sciences
2004 – Robin Alley – Kinesiology
2004 – Allison Mosley – Animal Sciences
2003 – Brooke Billings – Illini Union-Office of Volunteer Programs
2003 – Roxanne Dunn – University Library-Archives
2003 – Erin Hatch – Office of Cash Management and Investments
2003 – Stacey Williams – America Reads-Washington Early Childhood

2022 Tutor of the Year

Tutors play a unique role in supporting their peers and students in the community and the 2022 Tutor of the Year selection aims to recognize the outstanding tutors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Tutor of the Year selection was open to all undergraduate students who have been working in a tutoring position for the Champaign-Urbana campus for at least 6 months.

Nominators wrote a letter describing the tutor’s responsibilities and accomplishments, and outlined why they believed their nominee should be considered for Tutor of the Year. Nominations were evaluated by a selection committee using the following criteria: Reliability, Quality of Work, Initiative, Professionalism, and Uniqueness of Contribution.

Thank you to all of the nominees for your commitment and dedication to the students you work with, and thank you to the nominators for taking the time to recognize the outstanding tutors on our campus!

University of Illinois Tutor of the Year

2022 – Morelia Lara – America Reads/America Counts
2021 – Emily Williams – Center for Academic Resources in Engineering

Tutor of the Year – Runner Up

2022 – Katy Miles – Department of Statistics
2021 – Nevers Mushimata – Academic Services Center, Office of Minority Student Affairs

Tutor of the Year – Honorable Mention

2022 – Sachi Goel, Gies Peer Tutoring
2022 – Justin Roskamp, Center for Academic Resources in Engineering
2021 – Melia Watson – America Reads/America Counts
2021 – Alex Garcia – Center for Academic Resources in Engineering

America Reads/America Counts Tutor of the Year

2020 – Hailey Wilson – Barkstall Elementary School
2020 – Cassandra Favela – Urbana Early Childhood Center
2019 – Ta’ah Tompkins – Stratton Elementary School
2019 – Dillon Brown – Urbana Middle School
2018 – Cristal Noriega – Champaign Early Childhood Center
2018 – Beatris Garcia – MLK, Jr. Elementary and BTW Elementary
2017 – Eva Cygan – Kenwood Elementary School
2017 – Jessica Vilaythong – Urbana Adult Education
2016 – Diep Nguyen – Franklin Middle School
2016 – Alexiss Gould – Thomas Paine Elementary School
2015 – Christina Willey – Champaign Early Childhood Center
2015 – Myisha Howard – Yankee Ridge Elementary School
2014 – Grace Householder – Westview Elementary School
2014 – Melissa Roman – Leal Elementary School
2013 – Jessica Stanton – Jefferson Middle School
2013 – Yecencia Iturbe-Mendes – Martin Luther King Elementary School
2012 – Michelina Ashford – Barkstall Elementary School
2012 – Priya Gopalakrishnan – Gerber School
2011 – Yu Yi Li – Jefferson Middle School
2011 – Evelin Echeverria – Washington Early Childhood
2010 – Kyle McCreedy – Franklin Middle School
2010 – Kevin Wade – Urbana Adult Education
2009 – Yolanda Davis – Edison Middle School
2009 – Moheet Merchant – Urbana Adult Education
2008 – Devin Brown – Garden Hills Elementary School
2008 – Sarah Daugherty – Yankee Ridge Elementary School
2007 – Kyle Dohrman – Robeson Elementary School
2007 – Alexa Wirth – Leal Elementary School
2006 – Fernando Martinez – B.T. Washington Elementary School
2006 – Stephen Yu – Leal Elementary School
2005 – Jill Hansen – Carrie Busey Elementary School
2005 – Dilshad Patel – Westview Elementary School
2005 – Aisha Beckwith – Martin Luther King Elementary School
2005 – Ryan Gracia – Martin Luther King Elementary School