A University of Wyoming committee has chosen Brianna Best of Cheyenne, a senior in criminal justice, as UW's Student Employee of the Year.
She received a plaque and cash award from the Western Association of Student Employment Administrators and a cash award from UW.
An aide with the UW Office of Academic Affairs, Best was chosen based on her reliability, initiative, uniqueness of contribution, quality of work, professionalism and community and campus service. She was selected from 18 nominations across campus.
"Being nominated from among more than 3,000 student employees is an honor in itself," said Marilyn Johnson, student employment coordinator with UW Human Resources
"She brings to the job a combination of intelligence and perspective that we normally associate with much more experienced full-time employees," wrote Kathie Hull, executive business manager with Academic Affairs. "She has an exceptional ability to communicate appropriately and professionally with everyone who has occasion to contact our office, including faculty, students and staff from across campus and external constituents as well."
Wilma Varga, assistant to the provost, added, "She exceeds the expectations we usually have of our student employees. Brianna is experienced and conscientious; we are never hesitant to give her complex projects and those which require research before completing."
Best is enrolled in the UW Honors Program and is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international honorary society of sociology, and the Western Society of Criminology. She, along with nine other social work students, experienced homelessness first-hand for one week and volunteered at a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C., during spring break 2008, and this year she volunteered for orphanage outreach work in the Dominican Republic.
Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2009